BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says in its response to a lawsuit over the Dakota Access pipeline that it followed proper procedure in evaluating permits for water crossings and did not violate any federal laws.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed the federal suit in July after the Corps granted permits at 200 crossings, including one in North Dakota that's less than a mile upstream from the reservation. The tribe says the pipeline would impact drinking water and disturb sacred sites.
The Corps says in its response filed Tuesday that its process was not flawed, as the tribes have alleged, and it meets all the requirements of the Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The Corps says that neither the state nor the tribe have identified "cultural resources of significance" within the permit area.
A judge has scheduled a status hearing on the case for Nov. 10.
