Army says it intends to grant Dakota Access pipeline final easement

February 8, 2017

The US Department of the Army announced it has completed a presidential-directed review of the remaining easement request for the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline, and has notified Congress that it intends to grant an easement for a right-of-way across government land at Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

The decision was based on a sufficient amount of information being available already that supported approval of the easement, and the Army chose to terminate a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement that the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) issued previously, Acting Army Sec. Robert Speer said.

"Today's announcement will allow for the final step, which is granting of the easement," Speer said. "Once that it done, we will have completed all the tasks in the Presidential Memorandum of Jan. 24." He referred to an executive order that US President Donald J. Trump issued that day for an expedited review and approval of the project.

His subordinate, Army Asst. Sec. for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, announced 2 months earlier that the Army would not approve the easement, and that consideration of an alternative route would best be accomplished by an EIS with full public input and analysis (OGJ Online, Dec. 5, 2016)...

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