The United States government today ordered a temporary halt to construction of a stretch of North Dakota oil pipeline that has been the focus of a sustained and growing occupation protest by Native Americans and environmental activists.

Tepees stand in the Seven Council camp, one of three encampments that have grown on the banks of the Cannon Ball River over the last month. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen
The Obama Administration's order to pause the pipeline is seen as a big win for the #NoDAPL movement. The Standing Rock Sioux Nation and other indigenous groups have long argued that the sprawling petroleum project irreparably harms their ancestral land and waterways, and threatens the humans and other living beings who live there.
Singing and drumming on North Dakota state capitol grounds after press conference https://t.co/3hddgOuN2p #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/D9587o8vCq
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) September 9, 2016
North Dakota state troopers filming people who gathered for #NoDAPL rally at capitol http:// https://t.co/3hddgOuN2p pic.twitter.com/GSVFwkxCBQ
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) September 9, 2016
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe actions have halted construction! https://t.co/APSGbOj70B image credit: Rob Wilson #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/BIOQeu9iN0
— kim (@kim) September 9, 2016
From the New York Times:
The order came after a federal judge's ruling rejected efforts by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to halt construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, which would run just north of their reservation boundaries.
Moments after the ruling came down, the United States government in an unusual move issued a statement saying it would, for the time being, not allow the pipeline to be built underneath a dammed section of the Missouri River that has become a focal point of the pipeline dispute. The statement, from the Justice and Interior Departments and the Army, urged the pipeline company to pause construction.
"We appreciate the District Court's opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain," the statement said.
Tribal leaders said they were heartened by the government's move and relieved that, for the time being, the Dakota Access pipeline would not be allowed to cross under their water supply. "When there's a wrong that keeps continuing to happen, it's oaky to stand up against that wrong. That's all we did," said David Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux. "I'm just so thankful that agencies are starting to listen."
The ruling by Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington rejected efforts by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to halt construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. A lawyer for the tribe says the ruling will be appealed.
Our Native American brothers and sisters & environmental justice advocates have transformed #NoDAPL into a movement. https://t.co/wpWtfvDpCL
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 8, 2016
Page 1 of the @nytimes today. 'I Want to Win Someday': Tribes Make Stand Against Pipeline. By @jackhealyNYT #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/7Qbimme5om
— Simon Moya-Smith (@SimonMoyaSmith) September 9, 2016
Anti-Pipeline Solidarity Actions Swell Across the U.S. #NoDAPL https://t.co/w0q6CZUC7v pic.twitter.com/RPXfdPgkgP
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) September 9, 2016
Video: the scene driving from #NoDAPL camps to National Guard checkpoint further down Highway 1806 pic.twitter.com/mG4SkCpJBQ
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) September 9, 2016
.@TheJusticeDept, @USACEHQ, @Interior are right. We must listen to our Native American brothers and sisters. #NoDAPL https://t.co/VwJXjq8Wg3
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 9, 2016

Work on the Energy Transfer Partners Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation is stopped. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen

A sage tie, which has spiritual significance for Native American Plains tribes, hangs at the Seven Council camp, one of three encampments that have grown on the banks of the Cannon Ball River. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen