Dakota Access Pipeline protests flare up again with Army Corps decision expected soon

Nearly 40 people were arrested today and construction equipment was vandalized by people protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Earlier today there was a report at Politico that an easement to allow construction of the pipeline could be approved as soon as Monday. However, the administration has since issued a statement denying any decision has been made. From Politico:

The Obama administration said Friday that no decision has been made on the disputed easement for the Dakota Access pipeline, tamping down expectations that the project could see a green light as soon as Monday.

“The process is ongoing and no decisions have been made,” an administration official said. Sources familiar with the process said earlier Friday that a go-ahead for the $3.7 billion project was expected as soon as Monday, raising concerns about nationwide protests planned against the project on Tuesday.

Politico wasn’t the only news outlet that was told a decision of some sort would be coming soon. Reuters was also told a decision, though perhaps not a final one, would be issued by the Army Corps of Engineers within a few days. It’s not clear what the interim decision could be or what it would mean for the ongoing project. Meanwhile protesters in South Dakota had another standoff with police. Reuters reports:

Police again confronted about 100 protesters at a construction site on the pipeline, which has drawn steady opposition from Native American and environmental activists since the summer.

At least 39 protesters were arrested on Friday at the construction site, and deputies took pictures of vandalized equipment, which had wires cut and was spray-painted, Morton County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Donnell Preskey said.

A spokesperson for Energy Transfer Partners, which owns the line, confirmed two to three pieces of equipment had been damaged, but the extent was not known.

Here is what the Morton County Sheriff’s Department posted within the last hour. In addition to the vandalism there was also another attack on a police officer:

Law Enforcement arrest 33 in Dakota Access Pipeline protest activity Friday. Protesters blocked ambulance and residents on Highway 6, attempted to attack an officer with a stake, slashed tires on law enforcement vehicles and caused damage to construction equipment.

Last month a protester named Red Fawn Fallis pulled a gun and fired three shots at police officers as they tried to arrest her during a contentious pipeline protest. She has since been charged with attempted murder. Captain Bryan Niewind of the Sheriff’s Department said of the incident, “The only angle that gun could have been fired where there was no law enforcement is the angle it was fired. It wasn’t because she was trying to aim away from law enforcement, it was because it was our lucky day.”

This is not the first time people connected to the pipeline protests have damaged construction equipment. In October, arson was suspected after a fire did nearly $2 million of damage to equipment near the path of the pipeline in Reasnor, Iowa.