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The US Army Corps of Engineering, which manages Lake Oahe, delayed issuing the permit, saying . However, the companies building the pipeline say .

The plan is for the pipeline to pass under the Missouri river some 800 metres north of what the US recognises as the boundary of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe say it is on land that belongs to them according to an 1851 treaty, and that construction will damage sacred sites and could contaminate their water.

An encampment near the planned route has become a rallying point. There local tribes have been joined by members of around 200 other Native American tribes, in what they describe as “a first of its kind historic gathering of Indigenous Nations”, along with other protestors and environmentalists. The protests have been getting worldwide media attention, not least because of police violence.

The pipeline will allow crude oil from North Dakota to be piped to refineries in the south rather than transported by train. Even if the pipeline is rerouted further north, it will still have to pass under the Missouri river.

The companies building the pipeline are keen to continue work as they signed supply contracts when oil prices were higher. They could lose substantial sums if delays mean those contracts have to be renegotiated.

Donald Trump has said the pipeline should be completed, which according to an aide . As president, however, he .

Some protestors oppose the Dakota Access pipeline on climate grounds, but it is not clear it would substantially increase carbon emissions. By contrast, the now-halted Keystone XL pipeline would have allowed Canada to export more oil extracted from tar sands. Extracting oil from tar sands results in high emissions.