Yahoo – AFP,
Jim Watson, December 5, 2016
US military veterans joined protests against a controversial planned oil pipeline that have led the Army Corps of Engineers to rethink the route (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON) |
Cannon Ball
(United States) (AFP) - The US Army Corps of Engineers nixed plans for a
controversial oil pipeline crossing in North Dakota, a major victory for Native
Americans and environmentalists who had staged months of protests.
The
pipeline had been set to cross under the Missouri River and man-made Lake Oahe,
which are drinking water sources for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
"It's
clear that there's more work to do," Jo-Ellen Darcy, the US Army's
assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement.
"The
best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore
alternate routes for the pipeline crossing."
The
Standing Rock Sioux objected to building the 1,172-mile (1,886-kilometer)
pipeline underneath the river and lake because of fears of possible leaks. The
tribe also said the route would cross through areas with sacred historic
artifacts.
The
conflict between the tribe and pipeline operators Energy Transfer Partners and
Sunoco Logistics Partners galvanized North American native tribes and
supporters, who have camped in the thousands near the construction site for
months in an effort to block it.
'Do the
right thing'
Some 2,000
US military veterans joined the protest this week in a symbolically important
move before a deadline for demonstrators to vacate the area on Monday.
"We
wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the
utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army
Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take
steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing,"
Standing Rock Sioux chairman Dave Archambault said in a statement.
"We
are not opposed to energy independence, economic development, or national
security concerns but we must ensure that these decisions are made with the
considerations of our indigenous peoples."
Map
charting the route of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline
(AFP Photo/AFP)
|
Pipeline
operator Energy Transfer Partners did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
However, a
group representing the pipeline operators, the Midwest Alliance for
Infrastructure Now, condemned the decision, blaming it on President Barack
Obama.
"This
purely political decision flies in the face of common sense and the rule of
law," it said in a statement. "Unfortunately, it's not surprising
that the president would, again, use executive fiat in an attempt to enhance
his legacy among the extreme left."
Violent
standoff
The Dakota
Access Pipeline would snake through four US states, delivering oil from North
Dakota to Illinois, where it can be shipped to other parts of the country.
It could
help reduce the cost of transporting North Dakota oil, enabling it to better
compete with cheaper oil from Canada.
The
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit saying it was railroaded by the
pipeline's developer and the US Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for
approving construction under the river, but a federal judge denied its request
to halt construction in September.
However,
the government suspended the pipeline construction project last month, saying
more analysis and debate were needed.
Energy
Transfer Partners and its co-operator Sunoco Logistics Partners struck back,
asking a court to stop regulators from further delaying the project.
The
standoff turned violent at times, including last month, when hundreds of
protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and a water
cannon, soaking the crowd in subfreezing temperatures.
Protest organizers
said 167 people were hurt, including three Native American tribal elders, and
that seven people were hospitalized for severe head injuries.
Nationwide protests
The
standoff has prompted sympathetic protests nationwide, with celebrities, politicians
and environmental activists joining the cause.
News of the
Army's decision prompted celebration and relief among those who opposed the
pipeline route.
"Today,
the voices of indigenous people were heard," Rhea Suh, president of the
Natural Resources Defense Council, tweeted. "The Standing Rock Sioux &
indigenous communities remind us of power of individuals to stand up to demand
environmental justice."
Among the
project's supporters, North Dakota's Republican Governor Jack Dalrymple, who
had ordered the protesters to evacuate on Monday, called the decision a
"serious mistake."
He was
joined by the state's sole member in the House of Representatives, Kevin
Cramer, who said in a statement, "I’m encouraged we will restore law and
order next month when we get a president who will not thumb his nose at the
rule of law."
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Canada approves tripling capacity of Trans Mountain pipeline to Pacific pic.twitter.com/MF6eOdTBV1— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 30, 2016
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