BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 4 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated President Barack Obama Sunday after the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will deny a federal permit needed for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“I appreciate very much President Obama listening to the Native American people and millions of others who believe this pipeline should not be built. In the year 2016, we should not continue to trample on Native American sovereignty. We should not endanger the water supply of millions of people. We should not become more dependent on fossil fuel and accelerate the planetary crisis of climate change. Our job now is to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels, not to produce more greenhouse gas emissions.”