The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Sunday that it would not grant an easement permitting the construction of the highly controversial Dakota Access Pipeline under North Dakota's Lake Oahe, the Missouri River reservoir. The pending construction had sparked months of protests organized by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The denial is news that might not sit so well with President-elect Donald Trump, though, as he owns stock in the company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners.
Trump and many other Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have supported finishing the pipeline, which is nearly completed. While the denied easement will allow for the exploration of alternative routes away from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, Trump's administration could allow for the pipeline to be built along the original route, The New York Times reports.
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