"In the year 2016, we should not continue to trample on Native American sovereignty," Bernie Sanders said in a statement. | Getty Sanders praises Dakota Access Pipeline ruling

Following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers block on the Dakota Access Pipeline, Bernie Sanders praised President Barack Obama for "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," the Vermont senator said in a statement Sunday. "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."

The Army Corps pulled the easement permit for a disputed section of the pipeline, which would cover about 1,172 miles, connecting the Bakken and Three Forks oil production areas in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.

Sanders has been a strong opponent of the pipeline.

The Vermont senator wrote an open letter to the president in October, urging him to halt construction on the pipeline. In November, the former Democratic presidential candidate also gave a speech at a rally in front of the White House, speaking out against the pipeline.

Over the past couple of months, tribal groups have held protests against the pipeline, arguing that it would threaten their water supplies. More recently, thousands of protesters have also traveled to the Standing Rock site to stand in solidarity with Native Americans.