"Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new
information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it's clear that there's more work to do," the Army's Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy said in the statement Sunday. "The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing."
Federal government officials had given activists, which include Native American tribe members and non-members alike, a Monday deadline to vacate the camp because of worries about the plunging temperatures.
Activists celebrate at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
The Obama administration had on multiple occasions asked that Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the project, voluntarily stop construction. But the installation of hyper-beam lights there last month shows that request has been ignored.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement the Department of Justice "remains committed to supporting local law enforcement, defending protestors' constitutional right to free speech and fostering thoughtful dialogue on the matter."
"We recognize the strong feelings that exist in connection with this issue, but it is imperative that all parties express their views
peacefully and join us in support of a deliberate and reasonable process for de-escalation and healing,' she said in the statement.
Former presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., released a statement saying, "I appreciate very much President Obama listening to the Native American people and millions of others who believe this pipeline should not be built."
North Dakota Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp said a decision on the pipeline didn't come soon enough.
"It's long past time that a decision is made on the easement going under Lake Oahe," Heitkamp said in a statement Sunday. "This administration's delay in taking action -- after I've pushed the White House, Army Corps, and other federal agencies for months to make a decision -- means that today's move doesn't actually bring finality to the project. The pipeline still remains in limbo. For the immediate future, the safety of residents, protesters, law enforcement, and workers remains my top priority as it should for everyone involved."
North Dakota Republican Senator John Hoeven was critical of the Army Corps decision, saying in a statement that "The Obama administration's refusal to issue an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline violates the rule of law and fails to resolve the issue. Instead, it passes the decision off to the next administration, which has already indicated it will approve the easement, and in the meantime perpetuates a difficult situation for North Dakota.
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Note from Stephen Fox:
This reminds me of that scene in the film Gandhi, when Martin Scheen playing Louis Fischer, right at the beginning of the Salt March beatings, when wave after wave of satyagrahis keep coming and are beaten by hired goons working for the salt companies and the British Raj, after the marching to the seashore, when he yells into the phone to the Chicago Tribune the headline for his story:"Gandhi has broken the back of the myth of the moral superiority of the British Empire."
We can exalt for a bit, but the struggle will go on, in other cornfields, other states, other tribies, but for a moment, we can rejoice and we can enjoy a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux and all indigenous peoples. I certainly want to thank the Senators who helped bring this along.
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