Blumenauer Welcomes Decision by Army Corps to Deny Easements for Dakota Access Pipeline

Statement

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) released the following statement:

"I'm encouraged by the Administration's decision today to not grant the easements needed for the Dakota Access Pipeline and to explore different routes.

"Given the scale of the project and its environmental and other risks, this should have happened sooner. I was disappointed with the failure of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to properly engage and consult with tribal governments, and to fully examine the potential environmental impacts of the routing of the pipeline. I was also distressed at the actions by law enforcement and what appeared to me and many others as excessive and unnecessary force used against the protestors.

"For many people, this protest has come to represent more than a decision over constructing a pipeline. It is a flashpoint after decades of mistreatment and misunderstanding. Re-routing the pipeline is a necessary first step in the right direction. Now we owe the parties here, and the generations to come, greater efforts to build relationships and more action toward righting the mistreatment and misunderstanding of the past."

As a member of the Congressional Native American Caucus, Blumenauer stood with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and called upon President Obama to engage in real, meaningful, government-to-government consultation and collaboration with tribal officials. He also joined with his colleagues in the House to urge the president to withdraw the permits for the pipeline, halt construction of the project in areas of federal jurisdiction, and conduct a comprehensive environmental review and transparent permitting process that includes public notice and participation.

Source