CLEARLY NOT OVER: DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE SAGA GOES TO COURT IN 2017
Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), has no intention of giving up easily. On Friday, US District Judge James Boasberg rejected ETP’s request for an expedited ruling to overturn the Army Corps’ denial of a permit.
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have until January 6 to file their opposition to ETP’s claim that they have the permission and permits necessary to drill under the Lake Oahe crossing, where the tribe gets most of its drinking water.
ETP attempted to argue for a shorter timeline based on the claim that they are losing $20 million with every week that the pipeline is not operational. However, Judge Boasberg was unsympathetic to the Texas company and will not hear arguments until at least February, according to the Associated Press.
In the meantime, the US Army Corps allegedly agreed to raise the water levels of Lake Oahe to make the area unstable and unsuitable for drilling, preventing ETP from trying to finish the pipeline ahead of the court ruling, according to Jordan Chariton.
Ironically, raising the water levels could result in flooding the Oceti Sakowin Camp, where protesters calling themselves water protectors are staying.
How this will play out under the incoming Trump administration remains to be seen, but some local lawmakers who have recently met with President-elect Donald Trump believe that the attempts to find alternative routes for the DAPL are futile.
“It’s really not an option because the pipeline is all but done, the only thing left is to go under the river in that spot,” Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) told KCRG.
While the Army Corps of Engineers may have acquiesced to demonstrators opposed to the pipeline, Senator John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) hopes that Trump prevents this from happening in the future, telling KCRG, “we’ve got to improve the permitting process so we don’t have situations like we’ve had with the Dakota Access Pipeline.”
“Celebrate while you can, I suppose. This is clearly not over,” Rep. Cramer said.
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It’s an International Corp. using domestic resources. How could anybody dare to mess with the spirits that back the true people of this country. This is their land and country. You took from them once and Yahweh will not see fit for you to do it again. You keep messing with his people and you are gonna cause the Yeshua to come and end everything, He said, ” I don’t come to heal and fix things , but to destroy.” Do you Zionist not understand what you are causing and about to bring on. Yahweh will not let you to continue to mistreat his people like this. Messing with the natives will bring about the end. Just you watch and see. You are disrespecting yourselves along with them and the lands. Have Mercy.