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The Guardian reports that the U.S. Army sent a letter, dated 7 February, to member of Congress Raúl Grijalva, saying it would grant a permit for the construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. Work could resume as early as 8 February.
"I have determined that there is no cause for completing any additional environmental analysis," wrote Douglas W Lamon, the senior official performing the duties of assistant secretary of the army, wrote in a notice to the federal register.
More recent news in Standing Rock from Feb 9:
The restarting of the drilling operation, which a pipeline spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday morning, began soon after the US government gave the oil corporation the green light to proceed on Wednesday. The controversial pipeline could be transporting crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois within three months.
At the Standing Rock camps in Cannon Ball – where activists have been stationed since last spring to fight the project – indigenous and environmental organizers vowed to stay put and continue opposing the pipeline.
[Continues...]
And from Feb 11:
Army veterans from across the country have arrived in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, or are currently en route after the news that Donald Trump's administration has allowed the oil corporation to finish drilling across the Missouri river.
The growing group of military veterans could make it harder for police and government officials to try to remove hundreds of activists who remain camped near the construction site and, some hope, could limit use of excessive force by law enforcement during demonstrations.
"We are prepared to put our bodies between Native elders and a privatized military force," said Elizabeth Williams, a 34-year-old air force veteran, who arrived at Standing Rock with a group of vets late on Friday. "We've stood in the face of fire before. We feel a responsibility to use the skills we have."
Previous stories:
Army Corp [sic] of Engineers Now Accepting Public Comment on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Army Corps of Engineers Blocks the Dakota Access Pipeline and many others in the archives.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by tisI on Sunday February 12 2017, @06:09PM
Those people, Standing Rock Indian Reservation, were fucked from the start and didn't even know it.
This standoff is over the final mile of pipe. Construction was started at both ends by the conglomeration of oil companies and billionaire investors (trump being one, and still is), and built backwards to their final immovable obstacle, an Indian reservation that didn't want their money. And here we are today.
Unfortunately for the Sioux Nation, billionaire investors love only money so the rightful owners of the land must get out of the way, now it seems with force, by the dictator himself.
Although looking at the maps of their chosen route, the Dakota Access Pipeline, it's all retarded to begin with. If they went direct line route from the oil fields at Bakken, east south east to the terminus in Illinois, they would've avoided all this and would have cut billions from the cost of construction of the thing. Instead they went west for a hundred miles, wandered through the toulies for a bit, then took it straight at the Sioux Nation. Almost like planned incompetence.
American citizens vs the dictators militia, and chump wants his money.
Not good
"Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself."
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @07:36PM
> Almost like planned incompetence.
More likely geology. It can be faster and cheaper to do 300km of pipeline than 3km, if the 300km is on exposed bedrock and the 3km is clay and sand and silt.
I haven't looked at the specifics for this case, of course. It could be planned incompetence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @08:26PM
Another reason for a particular route* is to parallel existing pipelines -- it is much harder to fight a new pipeline on private land if there is an existing one already in place. Not sure if this was a factor in this particular pipeline, but it is very common.
* I found this out the hard way when a new pipeline came through our families rural retreat property ~10 years ago and made a huge mess. We lost over 1000 trees (4" or larger) in a quarter mile of right-of-way. There were already two small pipes in place when my father bought the vacant land (not suitable for farming) in the late 1960s. One was a 4" from the 1950s (disused--but a company still owns the right of way) and another from the early 1960s that was 6" or 8". Now we have a 24" at 1200 psi running parallel.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @09:51PM
They were going to get screwed by either side. As the other side wants rail car oil (who also play the right of way game). Two of the larger funders of the DNC just happen to control large swaths of the rail in the continental united states.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @11:48PM
Indians have been persecuted for a long time, why stop now?