North Dakota Governor Orders Emergency Evacuation of Pipeline Protest Area

People residing near a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site in an area demarcated for protesters must evacuate immediately due to harsh weather conditions, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said in an executive order.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Last week, police shot powerful water cannons and rubber bullets to drive protesters from a bridge near the site, including members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who claim the building of the pipeline will affect their water resources and sacred grounds.

"I… order a mandatory evacuation of all persons located in areas under the proprietary jurisdiction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers located in Morton County," the order stated on Monday. "These persons are ordered to leave the evacuation area immediately, and are further ordered not to return to the evacuation area."

Large populations, the order explained, have chosen to stay in areas designated by the US federal government south of the Cantapeta Creek and the Cannonball River in tents, vehicles and temporary structures which have not been inspected and approved "as proper dwellings suitable for winter habitation."

The order included a map that labeled the designated coordinates that needed to be evacuated as the "Free Speech Area."

The $3.7-billion Dakota Access Pipeline is envisioned to transport domestically-produced light crude oil from North Dakota through the US states of South Dakota and Iowa to Illinois.