Judge Declines the Request to Stop Dakota Access Pipeline Construction

Judge from the U.S. Federal Court of the District of Columbia denied the request from two native American Indian tribe, Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux to halt the construction process of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The two tribes vowed to continue their fight.

Judge James Boasberg from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia denied the request, FOX News reported. In the request, the two native American Indian tribes ask the court to give directives to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to withdraw its permission given to Energy Transfer Partners to continue the oil pipeline development under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

Energy Transfer Partners L.P. is the parent company of Dakota Access Pipeline LLC, the company in charge of building the $3.8 billion pipeline to transfer oil from North Dakota shale oilfiled to Illinois. Energy Transfer Partners has obtained full federal authorization for the development. Prior to the permit from the USACE, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued the permit for the project to continue in 2016 after conducting an environmental impact analysis on the project.

In their lawsuit to oppose the construction, the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes argued that the construction will damage their cultural sites and water supply. Later on, the tribes issued their religion argument to oppose the construction.

In his ruling, as reported by ABC News, Judge Boasberg questioned the merit of religion argument. He also stated the religion argument was not raised in timely manner, "Although the tribe's members may feel unable to use the water from Lake Oahe in their religious ceremonies once the pipeline is operational, there is no specific ban on their religious exercise."

A week before, police removed the protesters who oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline from their camping site in the Standing Rock North Dakota. Watch the news of police moved in to remove them below:

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Dakota Access Pipelie, U.S. District Court, Energy Transfers Partners, Dakota Access Pipeline protesters

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