Dakota mission accomplished

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada praised the Army Corps of Engineers for its decision on the Dakota access pipeline.

“Yesterday’s decision will not make up for the past. But President Obama took a huge step to rectify a terrible wrong. Money, profits and not human dignity was the direction of the pipeline. The Obama administration changed that. For far too long, the pleas for justice from Native Americans have gone unanswered.”

The Dakota pipeline was a little-noticed dispute covered only in special interest media that pushed its way into the mainstream media and prompted an exodus of activists to join the protest in brutal cold weather.

On Dec. 4, the Corps denied an easement to Energy Transfer Partners. The 1,172-mile pipeline was nearly complete, save drilling under Lake Oahe near the border of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The Corps has now begun an environmental impact statement.