Some opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline who have been protesting for months in a rural camp in southern North Dakota rode out an overnight blizzard at shelters in two local towns and at a tribal casino.
The storm brought several inches of snow, winds gusting to 50 mph and temperatures that felt as cold as 10 degrees below zero.
Morton County set up shelters at school facilities in Bismarck and Flasher. Spokeswoman Maxine Herr says about 30 people took advantage of the shelters.
Many protesters stayed overnight at the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s casino, which is near the camp.
Pipeline opponent Michelle Cook says the brutal weather is just “a test of everybody’s resolve,” and that the camp will prevail through the winter.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump isn’t offering many clues about how the incoming administration will act regarding the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline.
Spokesman Jason Miller told The Associated Press on Monday that Trump supports construction of the pipeline. But Miller wouldn’t say whether Trump would reverse the Army’s decision on Sunday to decline to issue a permit for the $3.8 billion pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Miller said the Trump administration will review the situation “and make the appropriate determination.”
Protesters, who describe themselves as “water protectors,” say they have no plans to leave despite the Army’s decision and recent wintry storms.
The pipeline is largely complete except for the section under Lake Oahe.