While the decision by President Barack Obama's administration prevents the pipeline's completion for now, analysts and Republican leaders have said Energy Transfer will probably receive the approval it seeks after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

The Obama administration's refusal to issue an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline violates the rule of law and fails to resolve the issue,†North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, a Republican, said in an email. Instead, it passes the decision off to the next administration, which has already indicated it will approve the easement, and in the meantime perpetuates a difficult situation for North Dakotans.â€

Trump has expressed support for Dakota Access as recently as Dec. 1.

Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP called the move a purely political action†in a statement Sunday, adding that they are fully committed to bringing the project to completion.

This is nothing new from this administration, since over the last four months, the administration has demonstrated by its action and inaction that it intended to delay a decision in this matter until President Obama is out of office,†the companies said in the statement.

Dakota Access has been central to the intensifying debate over the need for new pipelines in the U.S. It has become a rallying point for the anti-fossil fuel movement and has drawn intense opposition from Native Americans who say it'll damage culturally significant sites.

We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration,†Dave Archambault II, tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said in a statement on Sunday. In a system that has continuously been stacked against us from every angle, it took tremendous courage.â€

The pipeline could help cut costs for drillers in North Dakota's Bakken shale region that have turned to more costly rail shipments when existing pipes filled up. Dakota Access, with a capacity of about 470,000 barrels a day, would ship about half of the current Bakken crude production and enable producers to access Midwest and Gulf Coast markets.

The permit would be for the final section of the pipeline, which spans four states. The project was originally slated to be operational at the end of this year.

The thoughtful approach established by the Army today ensures that there will be an in-depth evaluation of alternative routes for the pipeline and a closer look at potential impacts,â€...