Repeating a previous request last month, federal agencies on Monday asked the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline to voluntarily halt construction so that objections raised by the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes can be properly considered.
A joint statement issued by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the Department of the Interior, and the Justice Department asked for the pause in work less than 24 hours after a federal court lifted an unjunction against the controversial oil pipeline that opponents say threatens regional water supplies and infringes on tribal sovereignty.
According to Reuters, the joint statement said the Army Corp is still reviewing concerns raised by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other tribal nations about the pipeline's path.
On Monday, protests against the pipeline continued with numerous arrests, including that of actress Shailene Woodley who live-streamed her arrest on Facebook live:
Despite Sunday's court ruling, pipeline opponents vowed to continue, and intensify, their resistance the project.
"Our hearts and minds go to the pipeline fighters," said Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network. "[We] will continue to use prayer and peaceful civil disobedience to disrupt business-as-usual and stop this black snake from being completed. This fight is far from over."
