If it seems like American history is repeating itself you need not try and rub your eyes; you’ll still be awake and mostly conscious. In a time of unprecedented uncertainty, one thing is certain and that is the treatment of Native Americans has not changed at all in this country. The treatment of peaceful protesters at Standing Rock has garnered national attention and put one thing into the spotlight: the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline that would connect the Bakken and Three Forks production facilities in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The massive pipeline itself would be able to transport around 470,000 barrels per day, it even holds the capacity to transport 570,000 barrels daily if needed.
The Company behind this venture in the American Midwest has promised to work with and ensure the safety of the pipeline with local farmers and landowners. The Dakota Access Pipeline also ensures that the newest advancements in technology will be used to protect all that crude oil from saturating a town’s water supply or destroy crops.
Sure, the benefits of having our own crude oil transport seem tantalizing to businessmen and politicians alike, but the environmental effects could spell disaster for American land.
The U.S. is currently third when it comes to being the largest producer of crude oil in the world, however we are also number one at something, surprisingly, and that is being the largest consumer of crude oil in the world. The more our country moves away from importing foreign oil and the prices of oil still fluctuating, more domestic oil production and transportation is likely. The Dakota Access Pipeline is also reported as being a $3.7 billion investment and could create around 8,000 to 12,000 jobs for locals in the area. Which sounds great right? Of course it does. The annual money accumulated from the property and income taxes would be somewhere in the range of $129 million. The Bakken site is also reported to be a gargantuan resting spot of upwards of 7.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil. The potential economic boom for the U.S. has every wealthy investor in this country salivating like a hungry dog. And for that matter why shouldn’t it? Money is the name of the game for America, and oil companies are about to prove that a citizen’s well-being truly does not matter.
The site of militarized police pleasantly welcoming the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and thousands of other protesters with smoke grenades, water cannons and even dogs has put a bad taste in most Americans' mouths. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has been leading the operations for removal of the pipeline which would travel directly over historically significant burial and prayer sites for the Sioux people. The possibility of contamination from a possible leak and the eventual release of greenhouse gas emissions have devout environmentalists on the Sioux tribe's side.
My question is not why are police brutalizing protesters, it is why is President Obama turning a blind eye to this and letting it happen? Native Americans have been no stranger to government intrusion on their land and little regard for what happens to them afterwards, so why would we let this happen again? Apparently President Obama did not truly implement his idea of change to everyone in the country because it seems as though we’ve taken a DeLorean trip with Doc Brown back to 1855. This protest has been going on for months and with President Obama seemingly on board for its production, Native Americans may have just been kicked out of their land once again.
President Obama had everything in his power to halt this pipeline, but it looks like the powers of the old have prevailed again for this time. Never mind the fact that the possibility of the Dakota Access Pipeline rupturing over the Missouri River and contaminating the water or the fact that Flint, Michigan, still does not have clean water, let's worry about things that matter like a Black Friday sale on Toshiba flat screen TVs.
I guess there is no better way to round out Native American Heritage month in America than seeing an occupying army of police shoot water at protesters in freezing temperatures and the President’s inaction regarding the situation. No matter the cost of the project or how much money will be funneled into the pockets of the states, come this time next year it looks as though Native Americans will sadly be paying the price again.
