WASHINGTON – American Indians and their supporters are rallying in Washington against continued construction of the disputed Dakota Access pipeline.
A federal judge this week declined to halt construction of the final section of the $3.8 billion pipeline, meaning oil could begin flowing through it as early as next week.
The Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes have tried to stop the pipeline, saying it threatens their sovereignty, religious rights and water supply. The final, disputed section of the pipeline would pass under a reservoir that provides water to tribal reservations. The pipeline itself is not on tribal land.
On Friday, protesters plan to march from the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters to the White House. With the encouragement of President Donald Trump’s administration, the Army authorized construction of the pipeline to start again. That move cancelled an environmental study ordered under the administration of President Barack Obama.
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This story has been corrected to show the pipeline passes under a reservoir that provides water to tribal reservations, not that it is on tribal land.