This is why we never stop fighting.

In a major victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, a federal judge struck down permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline, the notorious oil pipeline that crosses the Tribe's ancestral lands.

A federal court found the Trump administration violated the law when it issued permits for the project. Specifically, the Court found that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to consider the health and environmental impacts to the Tribe in the event of an oil spill.

This decision validates everything the Tribe has been saying all along about the risk of oil spills to the people of Standing Rock: [link removed]

The Obama administration had it right when it moved to deny the permits in 2016, and this is the second time the Court has ruled that the government ran afoul of environmental laws when it permitted this pipeline.

The Court has now ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a full environmental impact statement on the pipeline, something that the Tribe has sought from the beginning of this controversy.

This victory came about through years of perseverance from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who persisted in challenging the pipeline through the ups and downs of major court victories and setbacks. Last week's hearing took place despite unprecedented hurdles, as traveling to D.C. for the hearing became too dangerous amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual hearing was held and I was able to deliver arguments over the telephone on behalf of the Tribe.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Mike Faith said,

"After years of commitment to defending our water and earth, we welcome this news of a significant legal win. It's humbling to see how actions we took four years ago to defend our ancestral homeland continue to inspire national conversations about how our choices ultimately affect this planet."

This fight is about justice and sovereignty, and we will continue to see it through until the Dakota Access Pipeline has finally been shut down.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jan Hasselman
Staff Attorney

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