Native Americans Protest Army’s Dakota Access Pipeline

The Rock Sioux Tribal group had a major success on Sunday in its fight to prevent an oil pipeline being built near its reservation when the Department of the Army announced that it will not admit the pipeline to be built under a protected area of the Missouri River.

The Army said it would look for alternative routes for the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline. Development of the pipeline a mile from the Rock Sioux conservation has turned out to be a global flash point for environmental and indigenous activism, drawing thousands of people to camp in the neighborhood.

Mr. Darcy, the Army’s personel that is in charge of civil works, responded in a statement that they are yet to find acceptable terms for everyone involved to finish the project efficiently and successfully. The idea could presage a lengthy environmental review that has the potential to block the pipeline’s construction for a very long time.

Although it was not clear how effective the government’s plans would be. Sunday’s announcement came in the dwindling days of the Obama administration, which stated earlier this month that the Army was looking for an alternative route. The projects are handled by Corps of Engineers, a section under the Army.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has taken a different approach to the project and said last week that he supported finishing the 1,170-mile pipeline, which crosses four states and is almost complete.

As the government’s actions call for an environmental research for alternative routes, Mr. Trump could end up going with the original proposal. Mr. Trump owns stock in the company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, but he has said that his support has nothing to do with his investment.