A final permit will be granted by the U.S. Army as green light for the Dakota Access oil pipeline after President Donald Trump’s order that the project be rushed despite conflict with the Native American tribes and climate advocates.
According to its court filing, the Army noted that it would permit the final section of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to pass under the Lake Oahe of North Dakota. Doing so could expedite the operations of the $3.8 billion pipeline as early as June.
Reuters noted that the Dakota Access oil pipeline is estimated to be 1,170-mile long and will be constructed by the Energy Transfer Partners. This major project is expected to transfer crude from North Dakota’s shale oilfields through Illinois on the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where numerous U.S. processing plants are situated. "It's great to see this new administration following through on their promises and letting projects go forward to the benefit of American consumers and workers," Association of Oil Pipe Lines spokesman John Stoody said.
Last year, thousands of protesters, such as climate activists and the Native American tribes, took part in the demonstrations against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. Even political personalities and celebrities supported the movement against the project.
The final permit from the U.S. Army had been the last bureaucratic barrier to the completion of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, as pointed out by the Washington Post. Granting of the permit drew positive words from the projects’ supporters while activists expressed their outrage over the decision.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has already promised a legal battle against the people overseeing the project. The group asserts that the Dakota Access oil pipeline will eventually pollute the water sources and violate sacred sites.
The tribe also promises to close off the pipeline once its construction is finished, without saying the details of how it would achieve such. They also called on their supporters to hold a demonstration in Washington on March 10.
"As Native peoples, we have been knocked down again, but we will get back up," the tribe stated. "We will rise above the greed and corruption that has plagued our peoples since first contact. We call on the Native Nations of the United States to stand together, unite and fight back."
