Overview
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a record of decision on Thursday granting a final easement that lets the Dakota Access Pipeline continue operating under the Missouri River at Lake Oahe.
- The easement attaches technical and oversight conditions including enhanced leak-detection systems, expanded groundwater and surface-water testing, independent third-party evaluations of safety systems, and contingency measures such as alternate water supplies.
- The Corps said it considered removing, rerouting, or abandoning the crossing but concluded that a conditioned easement best balanced public safety, environmental protection, and the project’s purpose.
- The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe rejected the decision as insufficient on sovereignty and long-term spill risk and has signaled it will pursue additional litigation that could affect the pipeline’s status.
- The pipeline has carried oil since June 2017 from the Bakken to the Midwest and moves about 4% of U.S. daily crude, a fact cited by Energy Transfer and state officials who say the route is important to regional energy supply and the economy.