Northwest Iowa — A federal judge on Friday (September 9th) denied a motion filed by a North Dakota Native American Tribe that would have halted construction of the Bakken Pipeline in North Dakota. That pipeline is the one that will transport Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois, passing through Lyon, Sioux, and O’Brien counties here in northwest Iowa.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had challenged the decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings, alleging the project violates several federal laws, and disturbs ancient Native American burial sites.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg denied the request for a temporary injunction. His ruling orders both the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Dakota Access to appear for a status conference next Friday, September 16th.
Meanwhile, protesters here in Iowa have planned another protest rally for this weekend, this time near Keokuk. One of the groups organizing Saturday’s march and rally in southeast Iowa is called the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition. Leaders say they’ll be massing at construction sites to “engage in acts of peaceful protection of the river.”
