A District of Columbia federal judge on Monday turned down a request to temporarily block construction on the Dakota Access pipeline, saying there would not be any risk of immediate harm until oil starts flowing.
The ruling, by Judge Brian Morris of United States District Court for Montana, blocked construction on the 1,179-mile 1,179-milewhich would carry 800,000 barrels a day of pipelinem from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast and has, over the past decade, become a lighting rod in broader political battles over energy, the environment and climate change.
Lawsuits have been filed to block construction on behalf of the environment, the fabric of the city and the rights of the former residents of St. Thomas.
The Dam Line 9 action was formulated to block construction on Line 9 and to raise awareness in the process about the Line 9 project and its relation to the tar sands.
In December, following months of pressure from protestors, Barack Obama's administration decided to block construction of the pipeline on federal land until an environmental assessment was completed.
He dispatched more than 100 National Guard troops to block construction on Arizona's shore.
The 63-year-old Native American was one of hundreds of activists gathered to block construction of the Dakota Access pipeline on Thursday, when police with tanks and riot gear surrounded them and began making mass arrests.
"What can you call that, other than social cleansing?" The challenge to the council's plan is part of an increasingly vociferous opposition movement which has involved residents blocking construction traffic to sites on the estate that are already under redevelopment.
There are others, too, who remain in the forest and are still blocking construction by putting their lives on the line and refusing to move.
