Though no guns were fired, Cannon Ball, N.D. Is currently exploding, but this time with joy. It’s still a long road to victory; but a battle has been won. Sunday night, a few weeks back, the Army Corp of Engineers announced it will search for an alternate route to the Dakota Access Pipeline. While not rerouting the majority of the line, this is a major shift that protestors have been seeking since early August of this year. Not only does this remapping mean the reservation’s sacred lands will be protected, but also that acts of civil disobedience in the face of blatant ignorance still holds merit. JoEllen Darcy, assistant secretary of civil works for the army, stated that the most expeditious and prudent way to construct the line would be for new routes to be mapped.
An unfortunate fact, however, is that this decision can be overturned with the incumbent cabinet president-elect, Donald Trump has selected. The entire pipeline will have to wait for weeks, if not months, of environmental surveying to be completed for the new route. By that time, we could be facing more serious issues, veiling the repeal of this decision by the current administration. A Republican representative of North Dakota, Kevin Cramer, thinks the decision to reroute is a mockery to those wishing to building infrastructure within the states. Funny how these words weren’t mentioned when the Bundy brothers occupied the Malhuer wildlife reservation in Oregon, earlier this year. With members of congress and senate like Cramer, we could see more instances like Cliven Bundy and spawn’s charades be allowed without judicial punishment. Meanwhile, protests for our indigenous civilian’s land to be respected (not to mention the possibility of another Flint, MI episode occurring), will continued to be shutdown and mocked with impunity to basic human rights. It’s almost disappointing to see that we, as a civilized nation of the current generation, still struggle with these concepts.
Darcy’s statement comes after an initial announcement to at least delay construction a few weeks prior to consider more responsible route options. Part of this is useful in that political discourse now exists with civil rights backing to help wedge any future decisions that may attempt to repeal the change of paths. While the majority of issues involving the pipeline sit both the strengths and flaws of our government, working towards a common ground for everyone is essential for us to move forward as a society. As Jan Hassleman notes that “it won’t be so simple to overturn this ruling”(Kennedy 2016). May Boeve warns both current or future administrations will have a difficult time overturning rulings once they are stated. So we have that small amount of solace to hold towards.
“Mni wiconi!” Can be heard throughout the camp, and hopefully that shall remain true in the months to come.
