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Wisconsin Tribes Celebrate Army’s Dakota Pipeline Construction Halt

Tribes Say Governments, Corporations Need To Consult On Project

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David Goldman/AP Photo

Wisconsin tribes are celebrating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to seek an alternative route for the Dakota Access pipeline.

Tribal members have said the pipeline would threaten the Standing Rock Sioux’s water source and historical sites.

“My heart and my prayers are in Standing Rock. Light your pipes, offer some asemaa and food because we surely have been blessed by the manidoog,” said Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Councilman Jason Schlender in a Facebook post Sunday.

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Tribes are considering the move a temporary victory and watching to see what President-elect Donald Trump has planned for the pipeline, said Paul Demain, a member of northeastern Wisconsin’s Oneida Nation and editor of the publication News from Indian Country.

“He can probably undo anything that (President Barack) Obama does. That’s why we’re saying this is a temporary victory. It’s a victory that brings things to a halt,” Demain said. “The camp itself is going to settle in for the winter and reinforce itself and watch what happens.”

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the Dakota Access pipeline, said the Army Corps’ decision was politically motivated.

Demain said corporations, state and federal governments need to consult with tribes on infrastructure projects and move away from fossil fuel consumption.

“This is an educational process that’s brought a lot of people together and made them aware of the danger of some of these pipelines, and the kind of things flowing through them are dangerous to our neighbors and our environments where these lines run,” he said. “Be aware and know that the battle over oil pipelines is probably coming to Minnesota and Wisconsin,” he continued, referencing Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement project in northern Minnesota as well as the potential for a new pipeline running south through Wisconsin.

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