In quotes from his memorandum opinion, Judge Boasberg cemented the fact that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the Dakota Access Pipeline fulfilled their required consultation duties, and in many cases even exceeded what is required by law.
Not only were hundreds of miles surveyed for cultural artifacts by trained and certified archaeological experts in North Dakota, but the pipeline parallels an existing natural gas line, the Northern Border Pipeline. When that project was constructed in the 1980s, archaeological surveys were conducted and the project was approved for construction. Since Dakota Access will cross Lake Oahe along the same corridor, the impact on cultural and traditional sites is significantly mitigated by following existing infrastructure.
