It never ceases to astound me that the most basic rules for carrying out such projects can be ignored.Â
The US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, finding that the US Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it granted an easement to Energy Transfer’s Dakota Access to construct and operate a segment of that oil pipeline running beneath Lake Oahe, a large reservoir lying behind a dam on the Missouri River and stretching between North and South Dakota.
The court said this was because the Corps failed to produce a full environmental impact statement (EIS) as ordered on 25 March.
We live in an era in which rules, in the form of law, can simply be ignored by companies and government agencies. It is so egregious that I have to wonder if there is much more to this story. Does anyone have additional relevant information?