On December 4, 2016, the secretary of Army Corps of Engineers said that "the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline will be declined.

Protests surrounding the pipeline began in April of 2016 when it was discovered that the line could pollute a source of fresh water for Standing Rock Sioux, as well as destroy many sacred and historical sites for the Sioux.

The NoDAPL website gave an update including a new plan from the secretary of Army Corps of Engineers saying the following:

The Dakota Access Pipeline is an approximately 1,172 mile pipeline that would connect the Bakken and Three Forks oil production areas in North Dakota to an existing crude oil terminal near Pakota, Illinois. The pipeline is 30 inches in diameter and is projected to transport approximately 470,000 barrels of oil per day, with a capacity as high as 570,000 barrels. The current proposed pipeline route would cross Lake Oahe, an Army Corps of Engineers project on the Missouri River.

David Archambault, leader of the Standing Rock Sioux issued the following statement towards the victory:

Despite the victory, the issue isn't completely solved. Jo-Ellen Darcy, the corps' assistant secretary for civil works says that, "the consideration of alternative routes would be best accomplished through an environmental impact statement...delivering both an immediate reprieve and political statement that could aid in future showdowns with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration."