WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation is near part of the pipeline route, oppose the project because of its anticipated harm to sources of drinking water and because the construction desecrates burial grounds and other sites.
“Chairman Archambault should work with other state leaders to get people to leave the illegal campsite on Army Corps of Engineers land,” Monday’s release quoted Hoeven as saying. “He should also join with us to call on the Obama administration to provide federal law enforcement personnel and resources to work with our state and local law enforcement professionals to ensure that any future protests are peaceful and within the law.”
Hoeven condemned protesters’ actions, claiming in the release that their encampment strains state and local law enforcement personnel, disrupts the lives of residents who live and work in surrounding communities, and is a hardship for ranchers and farmers.
Earlier this month, the Army Corps decided to halt final-stage construction of the pipeline because of environmental concerns.
