U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted permission for the contractor to continue Dakota Access pipeline project. Afterward, protesters which consist of the Native American and environmentalists has declared to continue to resist the development of the pipeline which promised to deliver energy independence for the United States.
U.S. Army deputy secretary stated on Tuesday Feb. 7 to issue the necessary permit to allow Dakota Access pipeline to continue its development as reported by Washington Post. The statement was noted in a court filing. The easement from U.S. Army will clear the bureaucratic obstacle to finalize the construction.
The project has been granted permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016 which assess the environmental impact of the construction to the surrounding wildlife. However opponent of the projects claimed the construction will endanger the wildlife and Indian reservation in South Dakota, particularly the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
Protesters filed the petition to USACE in August last year, asking the Corps Engineer to refuse permit for the project to pass the Lake Oahe, the fourth-largest man-made water reservoir in the U.S. situated in North and South Dakota. After examining the project plan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer granted the permission to Dakota Access pipeline to continue the construction.
Easement from the USACE has given Energy Transfer Partners L.P and its subsidiaries Dakota Access Pipeline LLC a full authorization from federal government as reported by CNBC. The easement which granted the pipeline to run for 1.25 miles route under the Missouri River. “Dakota Access now has received all federal authorizations necessary to proceed expeditiously to complete construction of the pipeline," read the statement from Energy Transfer Partners issued Wednesday.
However the protesters vowed to continue protesting the 1,172-mile-long oil pipeline development. The underground pipeline access is planned to pass through North Dakota to South Dakota all the way until Patoaka, Illinois where the oil tanks located. Prior to the pipeline, crude oil from Bakken shale oil field in North Dakota is transported through railroad. Watch the report from FOX News, regarding the easement from USACE to Dakota Access pipeline below:
