STEPPING OUT

U.S. Stops Construction on Part of North Dakota Pipeline

Amid outcry from Native Americans, environmental activists.

After a series of protests from environmental activists and Native Americans, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is halting contruction on part of a pipeline in North Dakota. The Justice Department made the decision despite a federal judge’s rejection of a challenge to its construction, which was brought forth by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The government said it will continue to evaluate the potential environmental risks of the project. “We appreciate the District Court’s opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act,” the DoJ, Department of the Interior and the Army wrote in a statement. “However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain.”