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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The US Army Corps of Engineers has decided to delay an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline project to cross Lake Oahe, south of Mandan.

In a statement, the Corps said additional discussion and analysis are necessary – quote – “in light of the history of the Great Sioux Nation’s dispossession of lands, the importance of Lake Oahe to the tribe, our government-to-government relationship, and the statute governing easements through government property.”

The Corps has invited the Standing Rock Tribe to discuss conditions to potentially allow the pipeline to be built under the lake bed.

Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault said while the decision was not – as he put it – “100 percent of what the tribe had hoped for” – he’s encouraged that the “prayers and demonstrations” have brought this issue to light.

Senator John Hoeven, meanwhile, has urged the Corps to grant the easement and allow the pipeline to be built. Hoeven said a federal judge has already ruled the Corps did its due diligence in siting the pipeline, and further said this will just prolong the disruption in the region.