On Tuesday the Army declared that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, clearing the way for completion of the disputed four-state project. However, construction could still be delayed because of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has led opposition to the pipeline, said it would fight the latest development in court. Refraining any further environmental studies, the Army intends to allow the Lake OAhe crossing on Wednesday itself as per court documents.
Notably, Lake Oahe is the huge pile of work on the 1,200-mile pipeline that would carry North Dakota oil through the Dakotas and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. Developer Energy Transfer Partners had hoped to have oil flowing through the pipeline by the end of 2016, but construction has been stalled while the Army Corps of Engineers and the Dallas-based company battled in court over the crossing. The Standing Rock Sioux fears a leak in the pipes would pollute its drinking water and will challenge to the Army’s decision to grant an easement, though the details were still being worked out, attorney Jan Hasselman said. The tribe has led protests that drew hundreds and at times thousands of people who dubbed themselves “water protectors” to an encampment near the crossing. ETP says the pipeline is safe.
