WASHINGTON – Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he’s pushing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to issue a final easement allowing Dakota Access Pipeline construction to be completed.
In a statement Thursday, Oct. 20, Hoeven said he met this week with Corps officials, including Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, to make the case that the situation with the pipeline protest needs to get resolved.
“That means getting the Corps to approve the easement so construction can be completed and life can return to normal for our farmers and ranchers in the region, and for our law enforcement who are working very hard to protect lives and property,” Hoeven said.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing the Corps in federal court for issuing a permit for the 1,172-mile pipeline to cross Lake Oahe less than a mile north of the reservation.
The Corps has not yet issued an easement and said in a joint statement on Sept. 9 with the Department of Justice and Department of Interior that said the Corps will not authorize construction under Lake Oahe until further review.
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