Trump owns stock in the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline

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.

Trump has claimed that his support for the Dakota Access Pipeline is not tied to his stake in Energy Transfer Partners. Nevertheless, supporters of the pipeline are hopeful about President Barack Obama's impending exit from the White House. "With President-elect Trump set to take office in 47 days, we are hopeful that this is not the final word on the Dakota Access Pipeline," Craig Stevens, a spokesman for the pro-infrastructure group MAIN Coalition, told The New York Times.

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