BISMARCK, N.D. –  North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven says the Acting Secretary of the Army has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with an easement necessary to complete the Dakota Access pipeline.

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Hoeven issued a statement Tuesday after he says Acting Army Secretary Robert Speer informed him of the decision. Hoeven spokesman Don Canton added the easement "isn't quite issued yet, but they plan to approve it" within days.

Construction of the $3.8 billion project is finished except for a section under the Missouri River at Lake Oahe in North Dakota. The pipeline has been the target of protests for months.

After Hoeven's statement, Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault renewed the tribe's vow to go to court if the easement is granted.

A spokesman for the U.S. Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.

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