Bernie Sanders, 4 other senators ask Obama to halt pipeline for full review
Bernie Sanders speaking to delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 25, 2016.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and four other Democratic senators are asking President Barack Obama to halt construction of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline until a full environmental review can be completed.
The other senators are Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dianne Feinstein of California, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
In a statement, the senators said Thursday the request is due to a federal appeals court denying the Standing Rock Sioux's motion for a temporary work stoppage in southern North Dakota within 20 miles of Lake Oahe. The feds stopped construction on land bordering and under the lake in order to review the permitting process.
An environmental review would likely delay the pipeline, which Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners hopes to complete by the end of the year.
“Until there has been full and meaningful tribal consultation, all pipeline permits and easements should be revoked or denied,” the senators wrote.
White House spokesman Patrick Rodenbush declined to comment.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the corps violated the National Historic Preservation Act while permitting the pipeline. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Sunday rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request for an injunction to stop construction on the pipeline while the case proceeds.
The senators’ letter asked that all construction be stopped along the entire project. The corps has not yet issued an easement that would allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to be placed under the Missouri River. The company behind the pipeline has announced it will continue construction on all other parts of the project.
“We applaud your administration taking action to deny the authorization of construction on Army Corps-owned land and under Lake Oahe pending a review of prior decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act and government-to-government consultation with the tribes,” the letter said. “In addition, we appreciate the administration’s decision to reassess the way the federal government incorporates tribal concerns regarding permitting decisions more broadly. This is a longstanding problem, and these efforts must bring about long overdue, meaningful change.”