US authorities deny route for controversial N Dakota pipeline

The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced it would deny plans for a controversial oil pipeline crossing in North Dakota, a major victory for Native Americans and environmentalists who had staged weeks of protests.

The pipeline had been set to cross under the Missouri River and man-made Lake Oahe, which are drinking water sources for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

"It's clear that there's more work to do," Jo-Ellen Darcy, the US Army's assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement yesterday.

"The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.