Army Formally Ends Study of Disputed Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing

 

by Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. — The Army on Friday formally ended further environmental study of the Dakota Access oil pipeline's disputed crossing beneath a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota.

Meanwhile, its Corps of Engineers branch continued efforts to accelerate cleanup at a protest camp near the drilling site that's threatened by spring flooding. 

The Corps launched the study on Jan. 18 in light of concerns from the Standing Rock Sioux and other Native American tribes that a pipeline leak beneath Lake Oahe would pollute drinking water.

President Donald Trump a week later pushed to advance pipeline construction, and the Army gave Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners permission for the crossing on Feb. 8. Work quickly began on the final chunk of construction.

Pope Francis insisted on Wednesday at a U.N. agricultural meeting with representatives of indigenous peoples that indigenous groups must give prior consent to any economic activities affecting their ancestral lands. The key, he said, is squaring economic development with the protection of cultures and territories.

"In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail," he said. "Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict." 

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Source: NBC News