Police shut down pipeline protest camp in North Dakota

Police in riot gear cleared protesters in North Dakota from private land in the path of the Dakota Access oil pipeline today. The protesters had camped over the weekend on land owned by Energy Transfer Partners, which is building the pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois. Objectors to the pipeline say it could impact the local environment, damage the water supply, and disturb areas of cultural significance to the nearby Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Authorities said that after a six-hour operation by local police and the National Guard, some protesters remained on the perimeter. More than a dozen who refused to leave were arrested; one of them fired a pistol at officers but didn’t hit anyone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.