President Barack Obama is taking heat from five trade unions to move ahead with the Dakota Access Pipeline, The Hill reports.
According to the unions, last month's decision to cease considering awarding the project a federal permit threatens the livelihoods of 3.5 million workers.
"The intervention by the Departments of Justice, Interior, and the U.S. Army to indefinitely halt a project that is more than halfway constructed and has received state and federal approval raises serious concerns about the future of infrastructure development in America, and the livelihoods of our members," reads a letter signed by leaders of the International Union of Operating Engineers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Laborers' International Union of North America, the United Association, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
"We urge you to adhere to the well-established regulatory process for permitting private infrastructure projects and approve the easement for the remaining section of the Dakota Access project without delay," they continue.
The project came under national scrutiny due to concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux, who according to CNN filed a complaint in federal court alleging that "the construction and operation of the pipeline . . . threatens the Tribe's environmental and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe."
The Obama administration halted the pipeline in early September and announced that Native American tribes will be invited to formal consultations about possible reforms to federal rules regarding national infrastructure projects in regards to tribal rights and resources, according to The Atlantic.
The union's letter is the strongest response against Obama from labor, which typically favors Democrats.
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