NORTH DAKOTA – The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has launched a new legal challenge against the Dakota Access Pipeline, seeking to overturn federal approvals for the pipeline’s Missouri River crossing and ultimately shut down its operation.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., argues that federal agencies failed to adequately address concerns about pipeline safety, spill response plans, treaty rights, and potential threats to the tribe’s drinking water supply.
Tribal Chairman Steve Sitting Bear says the tribe has spent the past decade fighting to protect its water, its people, and its treaty rights. The lawsuit follows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision earlier this year to grant a key easement allowing the pipeline crossing to continue operating.
The Dakota Access Pipeline has transported Bakken crude oil from North Dakota since 2017. Industry and state officials maintain the pipeline is safe and an important part of the region’s energy infrastructure.
The new lawsuit marks the latest chapter in a long-running dispute that sparked international attention during the 2016 and 2017 protests near the Standing Rock Reservation.
