On February 8, 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted an easement to Dakota Access, LLC allowing the installation of a thirty-inch diameter light crude oil pipeline under Federal lands managed by the Corps at Oahe Reservoir. The granting of this easement follows the February 7th Secretary of the Army decision to terminate the Notice of Intent to Perform an Environmental Impact Statement and notification to Congress of the Army’s intent to grant an easement to Dakota Access for the Lake Oahe crossing.
In operating and maintaining the federally-authorized project at Lake Oahe, the Corps will ensure the portion of the pipeline that crosses Lake Oahe complies with the conditions of the easement. In addition, the Corps is working with the Tribes and local law enforcement to restore the land to its pre-protest state and to mitigate the potential harm of debris, trash and untreated waste in the former protest site as the threat of spring flooding poses a risk to environmental impacts.
“The safety of those located on Corps-managed land remains our top priority, in addition to preventing contaminants from entering the waterway” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District Commander, Col. John Henderson. “We appreciate the proactive efforts of the Tribes to help clean the protest site ahead of potential flooding along the river, typical during the runoff season.”
The easement, covers approximately 1.25 miles of the pipeline that runs under the Missouri River along federally owned land.
Release no. 17-015