Dakota Access pipeline work to resume in protest area
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The company building the four-state Dakota Access pipeline says it will resume construction on private land near Lake Oahe (oh-AW’-hee) in North Dakota, where protests supporting tribal rights have endured for months.
The statement from Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners comes in the wake of a federal appeals court ruling Sunday allowing construction to resume within 20 miles of the lake. The $3.8 million, 1,200-mile pipeline is otherwise largely complete.
The Standing Rock Sioux wants the construction to stop because of concerns about water supply and cultural artifacts, although a state archaeologist says an inspection found none on the land.
Thousands of people have protested in support of the tribe, and 123 people have been arrested since mid-August, including actress Shailene Woodley and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
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