(SitNews) Washington, D.C. – Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers informed the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Energy Transfer Partners, and Dakota Access, LLC, that it has completed the review that it launched on September 9, 2016. The Army Corps of Engineers has determined that additional discussion and analysis are warranted in light of the history of the Great Sioux Nation’s dispossessions of lands, the importance of Lake Oahe to the Tribe, our government-to-government relationship, and the statute governing easements through government property.

The Army Corps of Engineers has invited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to engage in discussions regarding potential conditions on an easement for the pipeline crossing that would reduce the risk of a spill or rupture, hasten detection and response to any possible spill, or otherwise enhance the protection of Lake Oahe and the Tribe’s water supplies.

The Army Corps of Engineers has also invited discussions of the risk of a spill in light of such conditions, and whether to grant an easement for the pipeline to cross Lake Oahe at the proposed location. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a prepared statement they continue to welcome any input that the Tribe believes is relevant to the proposed pipeline crossing or the granting of an easement.

While these discussions are ongoing, construction on or under Corps land bordering Lake Oahe cannot occur because the Army Corps of Engineers has not made a final decision on whether to grant an easement.

The Army Corps of Engineers will work with the Tribe on a timeline that allows for robust discussion and analysis to be completed expeditiously.

In a prepared statement, the Army Corps of Engineers said, "We fully support the rights of all Americans to assemble and speak freely, and urge everyone involved in protest or pipeline activities to adhere to the principles of nonviolence."

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
www.usace.army.mil

 

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