Work on Dakota pipeline might start in June

Washington

THE US Army will grant the final permit for the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline after an order from President Donald Trump to expedite the project despite opposition from Native American tribes and climate activists.

In a court filing on Tuesday, the Army said it would allow the final section of the line to tunnel under North Dakota's Lake Oahe, which is part of the Missouri River system. This could enable the US$3.8 billion pipeline to begin operation as soon as June.

Energy Transfer Partners is building the 1,885km line to help move crude from the shale oilfields of North Dakota to Illinois en route to the Gulf of Mexico, where many US refineries are located.

Protests against the project last year drew drew thousands of people to the North Dakota plains including Native American tribes and environmental activists, and protest camps sprung up. The movement attracted high-profile political and celebri…