Wash. pipeline protesters block lanes of I-5

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) – Protesters upset by the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline temporarily blocked the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 through the city of Bellingham, Washington.

The highway was blocked for about an hour starting at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Bellingham Herald says demonstrators were upset over Tuesday’s decision by the federal government to grant an easement for the pipeline in North Dakota.

Bellingham is located north of Seattle near the Canadian border and is home to Western Washington University.

The $3.8 billion pipeline is intended to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois. Indian tribes argue the pipeline threatens drinking water and cultural sites.

Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners this week received approval from the Army Corps of Engineers to lay pipe under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir.