From Facebook check-ins to celebrity arrests, everyone seems to have a say about the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy- and overwhelmingly that say is in support, as it should be, of the Native American tribe the pipeline will be impacting. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe opposes construction of the pipeline because not only would a highly-likely spill pollute their water supply, but because its construction will pass through their sacred land. As you read up on the #NoDAPL controversy you might start to wonder: how could a project that appears to have such obvious disregard for Native culture have ever been approved? While the decision seems inherently wrong, there were several factors considered in the selection of the pipeline's current route.
In a court document, a timeline for the project is explained in detail. Dakota Access representatives contacted Native American tribes during their permitting process and heard responses from several tribes. The Standing Rock tribe was not one of them, and attempts to contact the tribe, according to the document, went unanswered. The tribe reportedly did not respond to outreach and did not send representatives to multiple public hearings attended by other tribes. The route of the project was not a surprise, nor a secret, causing some Sioux themselves to note that when they had a chance to voice their concerns, no voices were raised. The pipeline claims several reasons for their choice of land, one of them being that the current route uses already existing infrastructure, decreasing the environmental impact of the pipeline, which is nearing completion.
Although pipeline supporters have contended that the pipeline itself does not cross into designated tribal land, their destruction of sites deemed sacred raises debates over the underlying issues with fights over land. The Standing Rock Sioux's land has faced reduction for years, giving support to the argument that the legality of the pipeline based on land ownership is faulty. How can the government continue to claim land that rightfully belongs to the Native peoples?
Currently, protesters are preparing for the long-haul and getting ready for winter. As tension rises between law enforcement officers and protesters, the Obama administration has possible pipeline re-routes under review. Standing Rock protesters are not going anywhere anytime soon, however, neither is DAPL.
