The protests at Standing Rock have been going on for months. Thousands of people, led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, have been camped out on disputed federal land to dispute the controversial, multi-billion dollar Dakota Access Pipeline. While the Standing Rock battle began as peaceful opposition to the pipeline, a pipeline the Sioux say will compromise their clean water and destroy sacred sites, recent weeks have seen violent and destructive clashes between protesters and law enforcement escalate.
Standing Rock Battle Not Over Yet, As Firms Behind Pipeline Project 'Expect To Complete' Without Rerouting [Video]
Over the weekend, veterans from across the U.S. began arriving at Standing Rock to lend their manpower to the massive protest, promising to form a "human shield" to protect the predominantly Native American protesters. The vets also brought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of much-needed supplies to Standing Rock, even building warm shelters to help the protesters hunker down on site through the bitter North Dakota winter.
"The Army will not grant an easement to cross Lake Oahe at the proposed location based on the current record."
On Sunday, Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault II released a statement that recognized that nothing is set in stone yet.
"Today, the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not be granting the easement to cross Lake Oahe for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the Corps will be undertaking an environmental impact statement to look at possible alternative routes."
"They can sue, and the Trump administration can try to overturn [the decision]."
The firms went on to point the finger at the Obama White House, accusing the powers that be of "currying favor with a narrow and extreme political constituency."
Both firms also appear to think that Sunday's Standing Rock announcement was merely political theater as opposed to a binding legal decision regarding the route of the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying that they "fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any additional rerouting in and around Lake Oahe."
While many spent Sunday afternoon celebrating what appeared to be a major victory in the battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, it appears that a final solution isn't so simple. The Standing Rock battle won't be over until the pipeline is rerouted and completed away from Lake Oahe.
[Featured Image by David Goldman/AP Photo]
