The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has just issued a statement on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to not approve an easement that will allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe.
The news was reported on MSNBC and confirmed in the statement by the Tribe. This is a big victory for the Tribe and their many thousands of allies throughout the country and the world. I will post more news and analysis as I receive it.
The following is the statement released by Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II:
Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not be granting the easement to cross Lake Oahe for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the Corps will be undertaking an environmental impact statement to look at possible alternative routes. 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.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision.
We want to thank everyone who played a role in advocating for this cause. We thank the tribal youth who initiated this movement. We thank the millions of people around the globe who expressed support for our cause. We thank the thousands of people who came to the camps to support us, and the tens of thousands who donated time, talent, and money to our efforts to stand against this pipeline in the name of protecting our water. We especially thank all of the other tribal nations and jurisdictions who stood in solidarity with us, and we stand ready to stand with you if and when your people are in need.
Throughout this effort I have stressed the importance of acting at all times in a peaceful and prayerful manner – and that is how we will respond to this decision. With this decision we look forward to being able to return home and spend the winter with our families and loved ones, many of whom have sacrificed as well. We look forward to celebrating in wopila, in thanks, in the coming days.
We hope that Kelcey Warren, Governor Dalrymple, and the incoming Trump administration respect this decision and understand the complex process that led us to this point. When it comes to infrastructure development in Indian Country and with respect to treaty lands, we must strive to work together to reach decisions that reflect the multifaceted considerations of tribes.
Treaties are paramount law and must be respected, and we welcome dialogue on how to continue to honor that moving forward. 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.
To our local law enforcement, I hope that we can work together to heal our relationship as we all work to protect the lives and safety of our people. I recognize the extreme stress that the situation caused and look forward to a future that reflects more mutual understanding and respect.
Again, we are deeply appreciative that the Obama Administration took the time and effort to genuinely consider the broad spectrum of tribal concerns. In a system that has continuously been stacked against us from every angle, it took tremendous courage to take a new approach to our nation-to-nation relationship, and we will be forever grateful.”
For more information, go to: standwithstandingrock.net/...
“Today is a historic day both for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and for indigenous people everywhere," said Jan Hasselman, Earthjustice attorney who represented the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their lawsuit, in a joint statement issued by the environmental group and the Tribe. “This pipeline never should have been routed near these sacred lands in the first place, and it absolutely never should have received permits without a thorough and meaningful discussion of the risks and benefits to affected Indian Tribes. The announcement that a full environmental impact statement will be prepared is a huge step towards rational decision-making for a project of this magnitude.”
“Dakota Access took a reckless gamble with its investor’s money when it built its pipeline to either side of the river without the easement. Despite the extraordinary public controversy and overwhelming opposition to this pipeline, Dakota Access rejected the government’s request to voluntary cease construction. Today, Dakota Access and its investors reap the consequences of this reckless gamble," Hasselman said.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, represented by Earthjustice, brought a lawsuit against the Corps for its approvals for the pipeline in July of this year. The lawsuit claimed that the Corps violated multiple environmental and historic preservation statutes, focusing on the decision to reroute the pipeline from Bismarck, North Dakota to the doorstep of the Standing Rock reservation without and adequate environmental analysis and consultation. At various times, pipeline construction has been subject to court injunctions due to the litigation. (earthjustice.org/...)
“The Corps granted permits for the pipeline in July 2016 under a highly streamlined approval process known as Nationwide Permitting. The process circumvents any kind of close environmental review and public process. The Lake Oahe crossing requires an additional approval — known as an easement — because it crosses federally owned land on either side of the Missouri River. It was this easement that the government confirmed would not be granted," the group said.
Right now the water protectors, including the thousands of veterans that self-deployed to Standing Rock over the weekend, are celebrating in the camp.
“I'm inspired by the number of people who have responded to the call to come to Standing Rock.,” said (via Facebook) Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, who is currently at Standing Rock with other members of her Tribe. "History is being made here and it's history that's going to be talked about for years to come. Sitting Bull's descendants are out there holding this down and for the exact same reasons: We are concerned. We are attached. We believe in this land and in this water. We belong here because our burials are here from thousands of years before.”
“There's not a dry eye in camp,” said Mauro Oliveira (Red Sun), long time environmental, anti-war and indigenous rights activist, who is also currently at the camp showing his solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux.
Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network noted that the Obama Administration’s announcement that the US Army Corps will not grant DAPL the easement to drill under the Missouri River “is not a straight DENIAL, but rather a MAJOR suspension on a decision pending a limited EIS.”
“The US Army Corps will conduct a limited Environmental Impact Statement on the river crossing and explore possibilities for alternative routes,” said Goldtooth. “This is a win! But the fight aint over! This EIS process will take months.”
The fight to reject the Dakota Access Pipeline isn't over until this pipeline is rejected once and for all, but the administration's announcement today “ensures Energy Transfer Partners can't continue its assault on the Standing Rock Sioux's ancestral homeland," added Lena Moffitt, Director, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, in a statement.
However, Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners, the companies building the pipeline, issued a defiant statement saying they would continue work on the pipeline without “any additional rerouting in and around Lake Oahe," in spite of the Corps decision.
“For more than three years now, Dakota Access Pipeline has done nothing but play by the rules. The Army Corps of Engineers agrees, and has said so publicly and in federal court filing,” the corporations said. “The Corps’ review process and its decisions have been ratified by two federal courts. The Army Corps confirmed this again today when it stated its ‘policy decision’ does ‘not alter the Army’s position that the Corps’ prior reviews and actions have comported with legal requirements.’”
“As stated all along, ETP and SXL are fully committed to ensuring that this vital project is brought to completion and fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any additional rerouting in and around Lake Oahe. Nothing this Administration has done today changes that in any way,” they concluded. (www.businesswire.com/...)