Dakota Access Pipeline Easement Denied: Victory for Standing Rock

December 4, 2016

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145, akober@americanrivers.org

Statement of Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers

Washington – In a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and clean water advocates, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Sunday that it would not grant an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River’s Lake Oahe. The Army Corps will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for alternative routes, which will include opportunities for public comment.

Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:

“Today’s announcement is a great victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and downstream communities, whose clean drinking water supplies would have been threatened by the proposed pipeline route. We applaud the Army Corps of Engineers and the Obama Administration for taking the prudent step of requiring a full environmental review of this controversial project.

“The thousands who have gathered at Standing Rock over the past several months have sent a strong message that has resonated across our country and across the world: Water is life. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has demonstrated what is possible when you stand up for clean water and healthy rivers with peace, purpose and determination.”