Native Americans REJOICE as DAPL construction halts, but celebrations could be short lived

The Army Corps of Engineers has denied permission for the Dakota Access Pipeline Project (DAPL) to build on federal land and under the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- For months, Native Americans have protested the DAPL project saying the pipeline crosses sacred lands and burial grounds, and threatens the water supply for the Standing Rock Sioux.

An early plan for the pipeline routed it near Bismarck, but the city rejected it because it could threaten municipal water supplies.

Standing Rock tribal chairman Dave Archambault II said, "We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and do the right thing."

The Obama administration was responding to the public backlash which threatens his legacy as president. Republicans have blasted what they see as a capitulation to the protestors by an outgoing president.

Many of the protests have been expertly conducted and involved trained protestors. It is unclear who has trained the protestors, particularly those who committed acts of solidarity in cities far away from the Standing Rock Sioux Nation.

At Standing Rock, Native protestors used drones to film and document activities from above. They also used social media to document police efforts to restrict live communication from the area, including jamming cellular signals.

Law enforcement attempted to paint itself sympathetically, but they dehumanized themselves by deploying armored vehicles and looking more like storm troopers in black uniforms. One video released by law enforcement featured two female officers who complained about having snowballs thrown at them. The effort backfired when Native protestors countered this with images of rubber bullets, and footage of people being sprayed with water cannons in freezing temperatures.

At this time, the Army Corps of Engineers is seeking alternative route proposals for the pipeline. The pipeline is financed and investors expect a return, so the project is unlikely to be abandoned.

Celebrations are ongoing, but may be short lived. The new Trump administration has the power to reverse the Obama decision and resume construction on the existing route.

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