Earlier this week, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would not grant Energy Transfer Partners the final easement needed to complete construction of the highly controversial Dakota Access Pipeline beneath the Missouri River.
The Corps’ announcement contains a call for an environmental-impact study and alternative routes for the oil pipeline.
The New York Times reported Sunday that “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe won a major victory on Sunday in its battle to block an oil pipeline being built near its reservation when the Department of the Army announced that it would not allow the pipeline to be drilled under a dammed section of the Missouri River.”
The pipeline was initially rerouted from the predominantly white community of Bismarck and through the historically Sioux land. After months of intense, nonviolent protest led by the Standing Rock Sioux, it is now expected to be rerouted once again.
The Times is correct in heralding the announcement as a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; their staunch resistance has been steadfast and determined, and their direct action is undoubtedly the cause of the Corps’ decision. Though it is important to remember that, in the twilight of the Obama administration and the shadow of a looming Trump presidency, the fight is by no means over.
In a response published on Business Wire, Energy Transfer Partners stated “As stated all along, [Energy Transfer Partners] and [Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.] are fully committed to ensuring that this vital project is brought to completion and fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any addition rerouting in and around Lake Oahe. Nothing this administration has done today changes that in any way.”
The administration it speaks of, obviously, is the Obama administration. With Trump to take office in January, his new administration can just as easily reverse this decision. According to Reuters, “President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said for the first time that he supports the completion of a pipeline project near a North Dakota Indian reservation.”
Given Trump’s vested economic interest in the pipeline, previously owning between $15,000 and $50,000 in stock in Energy Transfer Partners, and the company’s CEO Kelcy Warren’s $100,000 donation to his campaign, the Corps’ decision is more of a speed bump than a stoplight.
The Daily Iowan Editorial Board believes this victory should be lauded as a minor victory, not an end-all to the movement. Indigenous rights, stable aquatic environments, and clean drinking water are still at risk.