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The US Department of the Army Sunday denied final approval needed to drill the proposed $3.7B Dakota Access Pipeline below a dammed section of the Missouri River.
The news was a major victory for thousands of Native Americans and environmentalists who have been protesting the oil pipeline that was to be constructed less than a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation.
This move could delay the pipeline’s construction for several months or years depending on an environmental review, the New York Times reports. Still, it remains unclear if the government’s decision will hold as President Obama’s days in office are dwindling and President-elect Donald Trump said last week he supports finishing the 1,170-mile pipeline that will go through four states.
“The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing,” US Army Corps Engineers assistant secretary for civil works Jo-Ellen Darcy said in a statement. [NYT]
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