In a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Noem said the state Board of Pardons and Paroles reviewed Rhines' application for clemency in December and denied it.
The project would move crude oil from Canada across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.
These three defendants trafficked in eagle and migratory birds among themselves, and obtained eagles and parts from others they knew had illegally killed them in South Dakota and Wyoming.