Dakota Access pipeline is a long-haul fight, but tribes have scored a key victory

The halting of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline is a hard-fought win for Native American tribes in getting the government to reconsider federal-tribal relations and the impact on government infrastructure on native land. The Dakota Access Pipeline, already 60% complete, had been long opposed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who claimed that the pipeline would damage sacred Native American sites and the tribes only water supply, the Missouri River.

“From New York, Nebraska, California, Washington State, really, anywhere there is Indian land you can find examples of pollution [or] disruption of sacred sites and other important cultural areas,” said Native American law attorney James Meggesto.

READ: Dakota Access pipeline is a long-haul fight, but tribes have scored a key victory