Army Corps to Grant Permit for Completion of Dakota Access Pipeline

Elections have consequences. Per a Jan. 24 executive memo, the Army Corps of Engineers indicated that it will grant Dakota Access LLC the final permit to tunnel under the Missouri River and complete the controversial pipeline.

2 minute read

February 9, 2017, 9:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


Dakota Access Pipeline

Tony Webster / Flickr

The most recent news about the Dakota Access Pipeline follows President Trump's Jan. 24 memorandum "to review and approve in an expedited manner the pipeline," effectively nullifying the Dec. 4, 2016 action by the Army Corps to deny Energy Transfer Partnersparent company of Dakota Access LLC, and "advising them to explore alternative routing and conduct an environmental review, granting indigenous peoples a rare victory."

"The Army’s intention to grant a 30-year easement under North Dakota’s Lake Oahe [a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River] was immediately hailed by congressional Republicans and decried by members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other opponents," report Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for The Washington Post.

In addition to granting the permit, the Army Corps of Engineers filed documents "with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia... that they were terminating a plan to prepare an environmental-impact statement on how the pipeline would affect land and water along its 1,170-mile route," add Eilperin and Dennis.

Construction cannot begin until the easement is granted, which Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Paul D. Cramer wrote will be given to the project’s sponsor Energy Transfer Partners no later than Wednesday [Feb. 8] afternoon. The company declined to comment Tuesday.

The section of the project running underneath Lake Oahe is one of the final parts to be built, and it could be operational between 60 and 80 days after construction starts.

The Standing Rock Tribe and their allies declared they would "defy the federal government," add Eilperin and Dennis.

"The environmental impact statement was wrongfully terminated," said Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault II in a statement Tuesday. "This pipeline was unfairly rerouted across our treaty lands. The Trump administration — yet again — is poised to set a precedent that defies the law and the will of Americans and our allies around the world.”

Sally Jewell, the former Secretary of the Interior, expressed extreme disappointment with the Army's actions, charging that they were "'reneging' on its commitment to other federal agencies and tribal leaders to conduct a thorough environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline before granting an easement to the project’s sponsor," reports Eilperin on Feb. 8.

Hat tip to Gary Lasky.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 in The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

1 hour ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

2 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

3 hours ago - Bloomberg