The $3.3 billion pipeline will stretch 1,600 kilometers and carry about 450,000 barrels of oil a day. Environmental organizations are launching a lawsuit claiming the permit does not take into account indirect and cumulative impacts, greenhouse gas emissions, and refining impacts.

Leech Lake Band in Minnesota stands to be the most affected by the pipeline. A group of Leech Lake tribal members have collected nearly 700 signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on the agreement to allow the line through 64 kilometers of tribal land.

"If they vote against the agreement, the pipeline route would have to go around the boundaries of the Leech Lake Reservation, which would require a new Environmental Impact Study, plus other permits including a new Presidential Permit," said Marty Cobenais of the nonprofit Indigenous Environmental Network.