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The Obama administration just made a major announcement on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Tom Cahill | September 9, 2016
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it will be temporarily halting construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline effective immediately.
The ruling came down shortly after a federal judge sided with the pipeline companies in
denying a motion filed by indigenous tribes to stop pipeline construction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had granted permits to Energy Transfer Partners’ family of companies to build a $3.8 billion, 1100-mile pipeline crossing four states that would carry as many as 578,000 barrels of oil per day across indigenous land and the Missouri River, which supplies drinking water to approximately 17 million people.
However, according to the
joint statement issued by the DOJ and the Department of the Interior Friday afternoon, construction of a critical part of the pipeline has been indefinitely put on hold.
The statement also affirmed President Obama’s previously stated commitment to respect indigenous rights and tribal sovereignty.
“[T]his case has highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects,”
the statement read. “Therefore, this fall, we will invite tribes to formal, government-to-government consultations on two questions: (1) within the existing statutory framework, what should the federal government do to better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure-related reviews and decisions and the protection of tribal lands, resources, and treaty rights; and (2) should new legislation be proposed to Congress to alter that statutory framework and promote those goals.”
Lastly, the DOJ applauded indigenous activists for exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying that federal resources would be utilized to make sure Native Americans’ right to protest is protected.
“In recent days, we have seen thousands of demonstrators come together peacefully, with support from scores of sovereign tribal governments, to exercise their First Amendment rights and to voice heartfelt concerns about the environment and historic, sacred sites. It is now incumbent on all of us to develop a path forward that serves the broadest public interest,” the statement read.
The Obama administration just made a major announcement on the Dakota Access Pipeline
