After months of tireless efforts, the protestors at the Standing Rock reservation are claiming victory. On Sunday, Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, announced the Army will not approve an easement that would allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota, CNN reports.
Her statement read in part,
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal chairman Dave Archambault II told BuzzFeed News, the Corps will take environmental impact into any future decisions adding,
As GOOD reported in September, the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172 mile-long oil conduit, was the epicenter of a battle between Big Oil and small Native American tribes. At a cost of $3.7 billion, the pipeline’s economic impact is estimated to be well into the billions and could create 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs. However, while the economic boost would likely pay off for the American consumer, the pipeline’s true cost would come with too high a price as the underground construction is set to travel directly through sacred grounds, including grave sites, of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Moreover, the tribe explains, the pipeline also might endanger their lands and water supply.
Changing the pipeline’s course was the best possible outcome for the thousands of protestors who descended on the site. As National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby said in a statement, “Our prayers have been answered. This isn’t over, but it is enormously good news. All tribal peoples have prayed from the beginning for a peaceful solution, and this puts us back on track.”
However, not everyone is happy with the outcome. Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican and North Dakota’s sole member in the House of Representatives, said in a statement:
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement that the Department of Justice would continue to monitor the protests.