If you have not heard the news, the Department of Army announced that they would not allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to be drilled underneath the Missouri River. The Army Corps is looking for alternative routes for the pipeline after months of protests of Native American and Non-Native American people at Standing Rock. Since the start of the project, the pipeline has been widely contested by "many Native Americans, particularly Sioux tribes who say the pipeline threatens their environmental and economic well-being, and would destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance. Protests at the pipeline construction sites in North Dakota that began in the spring of 2016 were so massive they actually became the largest gathering of Native Americans in the past hundred years" according to List 25.
For those of you who are unaware of what the project is, it is a 1,172 mile long underground pipeline that runs from North Dakota into South Dakota then through Iowa and Illinois. The route for the pipeline has already been modified multiple times to avoid other waterways and the company has gone through with all the necessary paper work needed in order to approve the building of the pipeline. Between 8,000-12,000 construction jobs would be created and up to 40 permanent operating jobs.
However, the Sioux tribes have protested that no only is the government encroaching onto their land without permission, but that the area the Dakota Access Pipeline wishes to drill is considered sacred land and it could potentially poison the tribes' water supply. Pipelines break and crack quite often, according to conservation groups, "in the years 1996-2015, there was a total of 11,199 pipeline incidents in the United States. This is an average of 560 incidents per year for all types of pipelines. These incidents contributed to a total of 360 fatalities and 1,376 injuries." This is one of the main reasons that protesters have gathered since the spring to stop the building of the pipeline. In late October, police and military personnel have been brought to the front lines of the Standing Rock protest and have used seemingly unnecessary force against protesters by shooting rubber bullets, tear gassing them and spraying freezing water. Most recently, they have started to use psychological warfare techniques such as constant surveillance and shining bright lights down into the camp at night. The police claimed the protesters were being unruly but really they were encroaching upon their first amendment right. None of this has deterred protesters, if anything, it has increased support for their cause for clean water.
However, there is a downside. President-elect Donald Trump has stock in the company that is funding the pipeline project and he has said numerous times that he supports the project. He also seems to not care about the environment. If no action is taken before President Obama leaves office, all of this work that protesters have done will be lost. Yes it was a big win that the Army Corps has not yet granted the final easement needed, but the fight is not over yet. We must continue to make sure our voice our heard. Water is Life.
