New Standing Rock camp evicted by law enforcement

Law enforcement have evicted about 40 Dakota Access pipeline opponents from a camp the demonstrators set up on higher ground near their flood-prone main camp in southern North Dakota.

The Morton County Sheriff's Office says the camp, near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation,was on private property owned by the pipeline developer. But in Facebook posts, demonstrators described what they called the "Last Child" camp as a "peaceful assembly."

Sheriff's spokesman Rob Keller says there were two initial arrests and no reports of injuries. Live-streaming video on Facebook shows several officers in riot gear on the scene.

The main camp once housed thousands but is now down to about 300 people. The tribe has told those in camp to leave, and the camp is being cleaned up in advance of spring flooding season.

Easement

The latest confrontation between demonstrators and law enforcement comes after a spokesperson from the U.S. Army said a review has begun of an easement that is necessary to complete the proposed Dakota Access oil pipeline.

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Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost says the Army is following the steps outlined in President Donald Trump's order earlier this month for a fast review of requests to approve the pipeline.

Frost cautions that the steps don't mean the easement has been approved.

The easement is necessary for the pipeline developer, Energy Transfer Partners, to complete the last unfinished section of the pipeline under North Dakota's Lake Oahe.

The pipeline has been the target of months of protests from the Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation lies near the route, and thousands of supporters from around the country who argue it's a threat to water supply.