Shailene Woodley is a huge role model of mine. I look up to her for her holistic lifestyle, positive outlook on life and devotion to issues of human rights and environmentalism. A few weeks ago, Shailene was arrested for criminal trespassing while protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a controversial topic in the news as of late. The pipeline is planned to be 1,172 miles long and run from the Bakken oil fields in Northwest North Dakota to Pakota, Illinois. The spokespersons for Dakota Access have argued that the pipeline is needed to help the US attain energy independence, create a more reliable transport method to and from refineries and improve the overall safety of the public. In addition, the pipeline may free up railroads allowing for farmers to ship more Midwest grain. However, many argue the opposite. Farmers in Iowa are concerned about the possibility of disturbance of the land, tiling, soil erosion and soil quality. Landowners across Iowa are worried about the implications of allowing the state to condemn privately owned land. Conservation groups focus their concerns on the possibility of oil leaks and the impact it would have on air, water, wildlife and farming. The Science and Environmental Health Network states, "approving the pipeline would be a violation of Iowa’s fiduciary and public trust responsibilities to the people of Iowa, because it harms the commons."
The pipeline was routed through the Missouri River near Bismark, but that path was rejected due to its proximity to the municipal water sources. Therefore, the alternative selected by the Corps of Engineers crosses underneath the Missouri River half a mile from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. There is concern that a spill could have major adverse effects on the waters that the Tribe and individuals in the area rely upon. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe believes that the pipeline would put the Missouri River, the water source for the reservation, at risk. Why, I wonder, do we believe it's acceptable to reroute the pipeline to protect the water of Bismark, Missouri, but in the process put the water of Standing Rock in harms' way?
Protests began as early as October 2014. A group of youth formed ReZpect our Water in 2016 and organized a cross-country spiritual run from North Dakota to Washington, D.C., to present a petition in protest of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. On August 23 of 2016, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe released a list of 87 tribal governments who wrote resolutions, proclamations and letters of support stating their solidarity with Standing Rock and the Sioux people in their protest of the pipeline. During Labor Day weekend, construction crews came onto the site with bulldozers and began digging up the land for the pipeline, digging on the spot of Native graves and ancient artifacts. On the same weekend, the company brought in private security to protect from the protests. When unarmed protesters crossed the perimeter fence to stop the bulldozers, the guards used pepper spray and guard dogs to attack.
As the United States continued to expand, the Native American tribes were pushed out of their land. Indian reservations were established in the 1800s to allow for their relocation. The purpose of the reservations was to protect the Native American tribes and allow them to possess tribal sovereignty, which recognizes them as "domestic dependent nations." Now we are threatening to damage the little land we have given them by threatening the safety of the environment.
I stand in solidarity with Standing Rock Reservation. I cannot support any act that threatens the safety and health of anyone. The history of the United States is full of instances of oppression towards the Native Americans by continuing to push them off of their lands to allow for United States expansion. I stand with Shailene and everyone else who protests the pipeline.
