Celebrity Activists Celebrate Dakota Access Pipeline Shutdown

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Daniel Nussbaum

Celebrity activists took to social media in celebration on Sunday as the Obama administration announced it would halt work on the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Sunday it would deny an easement that would have allowed the pipeline to cross Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River. The $3.7 billion, 1,172-mile long project was set to transport more than 470,000 barrels of oil per day across four states in what supporters said was a far safer and more cost-effective way than transporting the oil by rail.

In a statement, Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, vowed that the agency would “explore alternate routes” for the pipeline.

Sunday’s announcement was a major victory for environmentalists and members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, who for months had staged protests at the pipeline site in North Dakota, some of which had turned violent.

The announcement was also a victory for celebrity environmental activists who had vigorously opposed the pipeline, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Shailene Woodley, who was arrested at the protest site in October. Just last week, rocker Neil Young penned an open letter to President Obama calling on him to end the violence against protestors at the site.

On Twitter, celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Seth MacFarlane, Katy Perry and others cheered the Obama administration’s action on the pipeline.

Check out their reactions below:

 

 

 Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum

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