US Judge Yet Again Denies Tribe's Request to Halt DAPL Oil Flow

By teleSUR

15 March 17

The judge recognized moving forward with construction would harm the tribe, but alleged it would hurt the pipeline more to stop the project.

U.S. federal judge on Tuesday denied a request made by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe calling for an emergency injunction to prevent oil from flowing through part of the Dakota Access pipeline, with the judge prioritizing financial interests over potential hazards for the tribe.

Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued his decision, stating that he "acknowledges that the tribe is likely to suffer irreparable harm to its members’ religious exercise if oil is introduced into the pipeline, but Dakota Access would also be substantially harmed by an injunction, given the financial and logistical injuries that would ensue."

Just last week, a federal judge also denied the Standing Rock Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux tribes’ request to halt construction of the last part of the pipeline under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

With this latest ruling, the pipeline will be ready to carry oil by April 1. The pipeline’s completion was fast-tracked when President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month smoothing the path for its construction.

In continued resistance against the pipeline, Native Americans from around the country held a four-day demonstration on the steps of Capitol Hill last week. Tribal members and supporters camped each day on the National Mall, where they set up teepees and a ceremonial fire, and held cultural workshops.

In the four days of protest, Indigenous leaders also lobbied lawmakers to protect tribal rights. The protest culminated in a two-mile march from the Army Corps of Engineers office to the White House, where a rally was held on Friday.