NEWSPolice, protesters clash in oil pipeline protestJasper Spillman, of Lawrence, Kan., leaves the protest camp at the Dakota Access pipeline near Cannon Ball, N.D. Most of the pipeline opponents abandoned their protest camp ahead of a government deadline to get off the federal land, and authorities moved to arrest some who defied the order in a final show of dissent.Tom Stromme, APThis is an aerial view of the Oceti Sakowin camp in Morton County, N.D. taken Feb. 19, 2017. Authorities began the removal of protesters opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) from the camp on Feb. 22 2017, after the expiration of an evacuation deadline ordered by state and federal authorities.North Dakota Joint Information Center Via European Pressphoto AgencyA couple embraces as opponents of the Dakota Access pipeline leave their main protest camp on Feb. 22, 2017, near Cannon Ball, N.D., as authorities were preparing to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season.James MacPherson, APCampers set structures on fire in preparation of the Army Corp's 2pm deadline to leave the Oceti Sakowin protest camp, Wednesday, in Cannon Ball, N.D,. Activists and protesters have occupied the Standing Rock Sioux reservation for months in opposition to the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.Stephen Yang, Getty ImagesA man who did not want to be identified loads a teepee canvas to his vehicle as he leaves the Dakota Access pipeline opponents' main protest camp Wednesday.James MacPherson, APCampers prepare for the Army Corp's 2pm deadline to leave the Oceti Sakowin protest camp.Stephen Yang, Getty ImagesO'Shea Spencer, 20, stands in front of the remains of a hogan structure. Campers set structures on fire in preparation of the Army Corp's 2pm deadline to leave the Oceti Sakowin protest camp.Stephen Yang, Getty ImagesSmoke billows as Dakota Access pipeline opponents burn structures in their main protest camp.Blake Nicholson, APA camper dons a thermal blanket as Oceti Sakowin structures are set ablaze before the 2pm deadline for campers to vacate.Stephen YangMud swallows the feet of a Oceti Sakowin camper as the Army Corp's prepares to close the area. Activists and protesters have occupied the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in opposition to the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.Stephen Yang, Getty ImagesA fire burns in the background as opponents of the Dakota Access pipeline leave their main protest camp Wednesday, near Cannon Ball, N.D., as authorities were preparing to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season.James MacPherson, APDakota Access pipeline opponents burn structures in their main protest camp in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., Feb. 22, 2017, as authorities prepare to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season.James MacPherson, APDakota Access pipeline opponents burn structures in their main protest camp in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., Feb. 22, 2017, as authorities prepare to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season.James MacPherson, APRefuse remains in the Dakota Access pipeline opponents' main protest camp as a fire burns in the background in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., on Feb. 22, 2017.Blake Nicholson, APOne of the many structures at the Dakota Access pipeline main protest camp in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., Feb. 22, 2017.James MacPherson, APCharlotte Saxton and her father Robert both from Bemidji, MN, watch a sunset in the Oceti Sakowin Camp Dec. 5, 2016 near Cannon Ball ND.Brian Powers, The Register Via The USA TODAY NetworkCash Jackson leads other veterans in a march on the highway 1806 bridge north of the Oceti Sakowin Camp near Cannon Ball Dec. 5, 2016. Officials had been staffing the bridge full time but have said they are going to cut back.Brian Powers, USA TODAY Network Via The RegisterDespite high winds and snowfall campers in the Oceti Sakowin Camp made the best of it and skied down Media Hill on Dec. 5, 2016 near Cannon Ball.Brian Powers, The Register Via The USA TODAY NetworkDespite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Dec. 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, N.D.Scott Olson, Getty ImagesMilitary veterans huddle together to hold a United States flag against strong winds during a march to a closed bridge outside the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. Dec. 5, 2016.David Goldman, APKarl McCartney, an Arrow Lakes Okanogan Native American from Omak, Wash., cleans snow out from his tent after a storm blew through the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. Dec. 5, 2016.David Goldman, APNative dancers perform during a veterans march on the highway 1806 bridge north of the Oceti Sakowin Camp Dec. 5, 2016 near Cannon Ball. Officials had been staffing the bridge full time but have said they are going to cut back.Brian Powers, The Register Via USA TODAY NetworkVeterans walk down flag row in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation on Dec. 4, 2016, near Cannon Ball.Brian Powers, The Register, Via The USA TODAY NetworkFireworks go off in the Oceti Sakowin Camp close to the Standing Rock Reservation on Dec. 4, 2016, near Cannon Ball.Brian Powers, The Register, Via The USA TODAY NetworkPeople celebrate around the Oceti Sakowin Camp near Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 4, 2016. The Army Corps of Engineers announced it was halting construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline and considering alternative routes, something protesters had sought for months.Brian Powers, The Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkMichael Hopkins, 59, of Neenah, Wis., holds a mirror, Dec. 4, 2016, as he and other demonstrators prepare to practice an art demonstration intended to reflect the police officers' aggression back to them, according to native artist Rory Erler Wakemup in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, The Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkDemonstrators walk the hills above the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation, Dec. 4, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, The Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkFood donations sit ready to be taken in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation, Dec. 4, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, The Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkDemonstrators embrace after a daily water ceremony in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation, Dec. 3, 2016 near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkHeinz Brummel from Minneapolis works to construct a yurt paid for through a GoFundMe campaign put on by Indigenous Roots, Dec. 3, 2016 near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkAbigail Gallant, a masseuse and yoga instructor from Massachusetts, practices yoga along the Cannon Ball river in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation, Dec. 3, 2016 near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkDemonstrators work in the Oceti Sakowin Camp near the Standing Rock Reservation, Dec. 3, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D.Brian Powers, Des Moines Register, Via USA TODAY NetworkU.S. Army veteran Zhooniya Ogitchida spray paints a sign for the veterans headquarters tent at the Oceti Sakowin Camp, Dec. 3, 2016, on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation near Cannon Ball, N.D. As many as 2,000 veterans are expected at the camp this weekend to participate in non-violent protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the pipeline. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois.Jim Watson, AFP/Getty ImagesActivists on horseback pass through the Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation outside Cannon Ball, N.D.Jim Watson, AFP/Getty ImagesVietnam Army veteran Dan Luker, of Boston, attends a briefing for fellow veterans at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 3, 2016.David Goldman, APFlags flap in the wind on the main thoroughfare of Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, Dec. 3, 2016, outside Cannon Ball, N.D., as Native Americans and activists from around the country gather at the camp trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.Jim Watson, AFP/Getty ImagesAn activist builds a temporary shelter at the Oceti Sakowin Camp near Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 3, 2016.Jim Watson, AFP/Getty ImagesPeople stand outside a dome used as a community center and sleeping area at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 2, 2016.David Goldman, APAngie Spencer, left, performs sage smudging on a military veteran at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 3, 2016 near Cannon Ball, N.D.Scott Olson, Getty ImagesLindsey Denison, of Los Angeles, volunteers to hang up donated clothing at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline, Dec. 2, 2016.David Goldman, APJonathan Shields, from Portland, Oregon, helps to cut firewood in front of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe tent at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Dec. 2, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, N.D.Scott Olson, Getty ImagesTravelers arrive at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline as they walk into a tent next to an upside-down american flag in Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 2, 2016.David Goldman, APAn activist staying at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation digs out from a recent snowfall on Nov. 30, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, N.D.Scott Olson, Getty ImagesNight falls on Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on outside Cannon Ball, N.D. Dec. 1, 2016.Scott Olson, Getty ImagesProtesters demonstrate in solidarity with members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota over the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Philadelphia, Dec 1, 2016.Matt Rourke, APSnow covers the ground at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation outside Cannon Ball, N.D. Dec.1, 2016Scott Olson, Getty ImagesMilitary veterans stand on a closed bridge to protest across from police protecting the Dakota Access oil pipeline site in Cannon Ball, N.D. Dec. 1, 2016. Some military veterans in North Dakota disagree with the 2,000 veterans planning to join a protest opposing the four-state, $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline.David Goldman, APArmy veteran James White, a member of the Lakota Native American tribe, makes a snow angel on a closed bridge during a protest across from police protecting the Dakota Access oil pipeline site in Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 1, 2016.David Goldman, APThe Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline stands in the background as a boy sleds down a hill in Cannon Ball, N.D. Nov. 29, 2016.David Goldman, APSmokey, a member of the Sioux Native American tribe, rides the horse Prophecy, a descendant of the horse belonging to war chief Crazy Horse, as he pulls a sled at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline, in Cannon Ball, N.D. Nov. 29, 2016.David Goldman, APProtesters demonstrate in solidarity with members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota over the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Philadelphia, Dec. 1, 2016.Matt Rourke, APLoretta Reddog, of Placerville, Calif., shovels a walkway to her tent while followed by her dog Gurdee Bean at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. Nov. 29, 2016. "I'm scared. I'm a California girl, you know?" said Reddog who arrived several months ago with her two dogs and has yet to adjust to the harsher climate.David Goldman, APA person prays along the Cannonball River during a Native American water ceremony at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. Nov. 29, 2016.David Goldman, APActivist Maria Fortune, of Lincoln, Neb., leads a crowd in a march protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline, outside the Robert V. Denney Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Lincoln on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. Protests were being held Tuesday across the country, from California to Vermont. Activists called for demonstrations at Army Corps of Engineers offices and at banks financing the pipeline construction.Kristin Streff, The Journal-Star Via APPeople including Steve Cramer, center, protest the Dakota Access pipeline project in front of the Richard Bolling Federal Building in downtown Kansas City, Mo.Keith Myers, The Kansas City Star Via APSupporters of the Dakota Access Pipeline hold signs on Burleigh Avenue and University Drive in Bismarck, N.D., during the international day of action relating to the pipeline issue.Tom Stromme, The Bismarck Tribune Via APCaro Gonzales holds a megaphone to lead demonstrators protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Bismarck, N.D.Tom Stromme, The Bismarck Tribune Via APWith chants and signs, protesters occupy the lobby area of Wells Fargo Bank during a rally against the Dakota Access oil pipeline construction in Eugene, Ore. The peaceful march began in front of the Army Corp offices in Eugene and moved through the downtown area stoping at several banks that the group said are involved in helping fund the pipeline.Chris Pietsch, The Register-Guard Via APHubert Sendes, a Lakota Sioux, holds a sign with others protesting outside the federal building that houses the Army Corps of Engineers offices in Dallas.LM Otero, APZavier Oudinara, 7, holds a sign showing a black snake as he chants with others outside during a protest the federal building housing the Army Corps of Engineers offices in Dallas.LM Otero, APProtestors hold a sign calling for the arrest of Dallas based Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren during a protest outside the federal building housing the Army Corps of Engineers offices in Dallas.LM Otero, APA pair of Dakota Pipeline protesters stand in front of a line law enforcement personnel at the intersection of Rosser Avenue and Fourth Street in downtown Bismarck, N.D., as protesters marched from the state Capitol to the William L. Guy Federal Building.Mike McCleary, The Bismarck Tribune Via APDakota Pipeline protesters stand arm-in-arm in front of the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., before marching downtown to the William L. Guy Federal Building.Mike McCleary, The Bismarck Tribune Via APProtesters demonstrate in solidarity with members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota over the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, in Philadelphia.Matt Rourke, APDemonstrators against the Dakota Access oil pipeline hold a ceremony at the main protest camp near Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The ceremony was in honor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental attorney and president of the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, who visited the Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters Tuesday.James MacPherson, APProtesters demonstrate outside of the US Army Corps of Engineers office in Huntington, W.Va., in solidarity with opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.Sholten Singer, The Herald-Dispatch Via APOpponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline gather in the main protest camp near Cannon Ball, N.D.James MacPherson, APCeleste Haverstick holds a sign during a Standing in Solidarity with Standing Rock protest outside of the Boulder County Courthouse in Boulder, Colo.Jeremy Papasso, Daily Camera Via APErin Wise, left, of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, shakes hands with Maj. Gen. Donald Jackson of the Army Corps of Engineers during a demonstration against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline outside the Corps headquarters in Washington, DC. Organizers held a national day of action to call on President Barack Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers to permanently reject the pipeline before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.Chip Somodevilla, Getty ImagesWASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 15: Hundreds of people sit in silent protest against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline outside the offices of the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla, Getty ImagesHundreds of demonstrators block the entrance to the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla, Getty ImagesErin Wise, center, of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, leads a protest march from the Army Corps of Engineers to the White House to demonstration against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline.Chip Somodevilla, Getty ImagesHundreds of demonstrators block the entrance to the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters.Chip Somodevilla, Getty ImagesNative American protestors march showing their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline, in Chicago, Nov. 2016.Tannen Maury, European Pressphoto AgencyActress Shailene Woodley is led to a transport vehicle by a Morton County Sheriff's deputy after being arrested at a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline near St. Anthony, N.D. Oct. 10, 2016.Tom Stromme, APNative American protesters march showing their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline, in Chicago on Nov. 12, 2016.Tannen Maury, European Pressphoto AgencyDozens of protestors demonstrating against the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline wade in cold creek waters confronting local police, as remnants of pepper spray waft over the crowd near Cannon Ball, N.D., Nov. 2, 2016. Officers in riot gear clashed again Wednesday with protesters near the Dakota Access pipeline, hitting several dozen with pepper spray as they waded through waist-deep water in an attempt to reach property owned by the pipeline's developer.John L. Mone, APDemonstrators protest the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline under a water source close to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation participate in a prayer and drum circle near Cannon Ball, N.D.John L. Mone, APTonya Stands recovers after being pepper sprayed by police after swimming across a creek with other protesters hoping to build a new camp to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, near Cannon Ball, N.D.John L. Mone, APAn exodus of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters move south on Highway 1806 as a line of law enforcement slowly push the protest effort from the Front Line Camp to the Oceti Wakoni overflow camp a few miles down the road in Morton County, N.D., on Oct. 27, 2016. The months-long dispute over the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline reached a crisis point when the protesters set up camp on land owned by pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners. The disputed area is just to the north of a more permanent and larger encampment on federally owned land where hundreds of protesters have camped for months.Mike McCleary, The Bismarck Tribune, Via APLaw enforcement officers stand in the distance as fire and thick smoke from burning tires billows in the air as a Dakota Access Pipeline at a protest roadblock across Highway 1806 in Morton County, N.D.Mike McCleary, The Bismarck Tribune, Via APLaw enforcement officers move in during a Dakota Access Pipeline protest on Oct. 27, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D.Caroline Grueskin, The Bismarck Tribune, Via APA Dakota Access oil pipeline protester who identified himself only as Smokey shows where he was hit by a shotgun bean bag round fired by officers trying to force protesters from a camp near Cannon Ball, N.D. Authorities say protesters threw rocks at officers and threatened them on horseback. Law enforcement officers dressed in riot gear began arresting protesters who had set up a camp on private land to block construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.James MacPherson, APDemonstrators stand next to burning tires as armed soldiers and law enforcement officers assemble to force Dakota Access Pipeline protesters off the private land.Mike McCleary, The Bismarck Tribune, Via APA picture made available by the Morton County Sheriff's Department shows protesters and law enforcement personnel confronting each other during a demonstration against the North Dakota oil pipeline project, along the Dakota Access Pipeline construction site, in Morton County, N.D., on Oct. 27, 2016.Morton County Sheriff's Department Via European Pressphoto AgencyLaw enforcement officers move through the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters' camp a near Cannon Ball, N.D.James MacPherson, AP