"Standing Rock Tribe Braces for Next Round of Dakota Pipeline Battle"

"Following President Trump's directive to the Army Corps to approve Dakota Access permit, opponents prepare legal fight over environmental impact."

"The acting secretary of the Army instructed the Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday to fully comply with a memorandum issued by President Trump that called for expediting the review and approval of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

The directive did not, however, despite reports to the contrary, grant a final permit, or easement, for the portion of pipeline that would run near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. That spot became a hotbed of protest last year when thousands of Native Americans and others, who call themselves water protectors, set up camp there.  

In the final weeks of the Obama administration, the Army Corps announced it would not allow the pipeline to be drilled under the Missouri River a half-mile upstream of Standing Rock. Instead, it said it would conduct an environmental impact statement, a thorough review that could take a year or more to complete and would consider alternate routes for that crossing."

Phil McKenna reports for InsideClimate News February 2, 2017.

SEE ALSO:

"Activist Ire Rises As Dakota Pipeline Review Begins" (Reuters)

"Keystone XL, Dakota Pipelines Will Draw Mass Resistance, Native Groups Promise" (InsideClimate News)

"Over 70 Arrested At Standing Rock As Dakota Access Aims To Finish Pipeline" (Guardian)