"The controversial Bayou Bridge Pipeline has been granted a permit by the New Orleans District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cross southern Louisiana between Nederland, Texas, and St. James Parish, including wetland areas across the Atchafalaya River Basin, the corps announced late Thursday (Dec. 14).

The issuance of the permit prompted an immediate response by environmental groups that have led a multi-year campaign against the pipeline because of concerns about its effects on the Atchafalaya basin's wetlands, including the potential for oil spills.

'This is just the beginning,' said Anne Rolfes, founding director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. 'We will resist non-violently now. We will put our bodies in the way to prevent this pipeline from being built because this pipeline threatens drinking water, our crawfishermen, and so much that we hold dear.'"

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune December 14, 2017. [2]