The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was ordered to grant the final easement to finish construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday, January 31 as previously reported by ICMN. The directive was revealed by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) who reported it to media outlets after speaking with Vice President Mike Pence and Acting Secretary of the Army Robert Speer.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe released a statement shortly after the news broke simply stating, “We are not surprised.”
Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) released a statement following Hoeven’s announcement that DAPL construction will proceed under Lake Oahe:
“I am deeply troubled by reports that the Army Corps of Engineers will grant an easement for the Lake Oahe crossing of the Dakota Access Pipeline imminently. Rushing this decision flies in the face of tribal sovereignty, and the legally-mandated meaningful consultation requirements. It also would completely ignore the need for an Environmental Impact Statement to ensure construction mitigates the risk of a spill, which could be devastating to the health, economic well-being, and environmental future of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.”
On January 22, the Standing Rock Sioux tribal council voted to evacuate all camps protesting DAPL within 30 days. Many of the water protectors have left camps due to the harsh winter weather conditions, while some have stayed in place. On January 30, crews began camp cleanup.
Despite the evacuation of many at the camps, and the cleanup, the fight for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe remains on many fronts. News recently broke that a couple of state lawmakers introduced a resolution that would have Congress hand oversight of Indian reservations in North Dakota to the state. Add to that, new North Dakota governor, Doug Burgum’s first bill signed was an $8 million loan to fund law enforcement and the protection of the pipeline construction. The new governor has sent mixed messages about DAPL since winning the election in November.
