US federal judge denies tribes' request to halt Dakota Access pipeline work

Activists participate in an art project conceived by Cannupa Hunska Luger, from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 3, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. (Photo by AFP)

A US federal judge has rejected a request seeking to halt construction of the final link in the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline project, dealing a blow to Native American tribes and environmental activists.

The request was filed by the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, who argued that the project would prevent them from practicing religious ceremonies at Lake Oahe, which is also the water source for both tribes.

After an hourlong hearing on Monday evening, US District Judge James Boasberg ruled that as long as oil isn't flowing through the pipeline, there is no threat to the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes, but he added that he would hear the arguments thoroughly at another session on February 27.

The tribes requested the temporary halt last week after Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners got federal permission to lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota.

A day after the US Army granted the final permit for the controversial pipeline following an order from President Donald Trump to expedite the project, the protests were held across the US on February 8.

A large number of people at demonstrations, including one outside the White House, protested against the disputed $3.8 billion project to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois.

Activists fight the wind as they walk along Flag Road in Oceti Sakowin Camp as blizzard conditions grip the area around the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 6, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

The rallies were held in Des Moines in Iowa, in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and several other cities. In San Francisco, several protesters were arrested for blocking public access to a federal building.

The protesters voiced concerns about possible water contamination and damage to the land they consider sacred as a result of the project.

Led by the Standing Rock Sioux, more than 100 Native American tribes have warned that the four-state pipeline would destroy their sacred sites and contaminate their water resources.

The protest movement has attracted high-profile political and celebrity support across the country.

In a court filing on February 7, the Army Corps of Engineers said it would allow the final 1.5 miles of the more than 1,700-mile pipeline to tunnel under the Missouri River north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

Veterans join activists in a march to Backwater Bridge just outside the Oceti Sakowin camp as "water protectors" continue to demonstrate against plans to pass the Dakota Access pipeline adjacent to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 5, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

In doing so, the Army cut short its environmental impact study of the pipeline despite a January 18 notice that it would accept public comments on the project through February 20.

The Standing Rock Sioux has vowed to shut pipeline operations down if construction was completed.

The pipeline would be the first to transport crude oil from Bakken shale, a vast oil formation in North Dakota, to refineries in the US Gulf Coast.

The previous US administration halted the project after months-long protests. But President Donald Trump has ordered the re-launch of the Dakota Access Pipeline.