Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Dakota Pipeline Will Move Ahead Despite Native American Objections
Washington Post reports that in a court filing yesterday the U.S. Army said that it will grant developers a 30-year easement under North Dakota’s Lake Oahe. This is the final permit needed to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Pipeline runs near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Tribal members claim that the Pipeline construction will destroy sacred ancestral Tribal lands. (See prior posting.) The Army is also terminating its plan to prepare an environmental impact statement on the Pipeline. Today's actions were authorized by a Presidential Memorandum issued by Donald Trump last month. (See prior posting.) Demonstrations and court challenges to the Army's decision are expected.