Activists are planning rallies around the country Tuesday, including in front of the White House, to pressure the Obama administration into killing the Dakota Access pipeline.
The protests, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders expected to participate in the Washington event, could include thousands of people, organizers said. More than 100 events are scheduled in 35 states.
The pipeline became a big controversy in recent weeks as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota made multiple attempts to block its construction.
A federal judge on Friday ruled construction on the pipeline could proceed, but the Obama administration put a temporary stop on a disputed crossing at Lake Oahe, spanning the Dakotas border, asking construction companies to stop building the pipeline for 20 miles in either direction.
The Departments of Justice and Interior and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a joint statement saying they would not allow construction of the pipeline on Corps land until it determines if any previous decisions on its construction must be reviewed.
The decision has essentially halted construction of the 1,172-mile pipeline that would run from North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline is expected to transport about 470,000 barrels of oil per day when completed.
The administration determined the activism by the tribe and its supporters merited a discussion about how the pipeline’s direction was decided upon.
