DAKOTA ACCESS ‘FULLY COMMITTED’ TO COMPLETING PIPELINE USING CURRENT ROUTE
- By Amy Dalrymple Forum News Service
DALLAS – The companies building the Dakota Access Pipeline said they remain committed to completing the project and expect to do so without rerouting the pipeline despite a decision from the federal government that denies the Lake Oahe easement.
“This is nothing new from this Administration, since over the last four months the Administration has demonstrated by its action and inaction that it intended to delay a decision in this matter until President Obama is out of office,” Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners said in a statement late Sunday, Dec. 4.
The companies said the decision from the Department of the Army that ordered a full Environmental Impact Statement is a purely political action, pointing out that two federal courts have ratified the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review process.
“The Army Corps confirmed this again today when it stated its ‘policy decision’ does ‘not alter the Army’s position that the Corps’ prior reviews and actions have comported with legal requirements,’” the statement read.
The Department of the Army ordered additional analysis of alternative routes, including more detailed information on a route about 10 miles north of Bismarck, detailed discussion about the potential risks of a spill in Lake Oahe and review of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s treaty rights.
“The White House’s directive today to the Corps for further delay is just the latest in a series of overt and transparent political actions by an administration which has abandoned the rule of law in favor of currying favor with a narrow and extreme political constituency,” the statement read.
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