WASHINGTON (February 8, 2017)—After an executive order from President Donald Trump, the Army Corps of Engineers will permit the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline without further environmental study, and over the objection of the Standing Rock tribe. This hasty process is an affront to the tribal community and to the principles of science-based policy, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“The president has pushed through the Dakota Access Pipeline approval without any real analysis of impacts and alternatives. That’s shameful. This decision puts corporate interests ahead of the rights of sovereign tribes and the safety of their land and water. It denies the Standing Rock community any opportunity to look for options that might address their concerns. This president has shown real disrespect to tribal communities, thousands of concerned citizens across the country and the scientific process that should be used to make decisions that affect people’s lives.”