Win of a Century
After constant pressure from a community of thousands of protestors supporting the Standing Rock Sioux, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that they will temporarily halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline until a new route is planned.
The creation of the pipeline has been protested since its proposal. The 1,172-mile pipeline was planned to come within a mile of the Standing Rock Sioux Native American reservation. The main concern was that the pipeline was planned to run under the Missouri River. An oil spill in the Missouri would inevitably threaten the drinking water the tribe relies on.
However, the construction of the pipeline also had the potential to damage some of the tribes culturally historic sites. As reported by CNN, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued the US Army Corps of Engineers claiming the pipeline, “Threatens the Tribe’s environmental and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance.”
The pipeline, as planned, would be able to move approximately 470,000 barrels of crude oil; creating 374.3 million gallons of gasoline per day according to Energy Access Partners. This pipeline would not only reduce the need for foreign oil, it would also reduce consumer gas prices. Locally, the pipeline was expected to create 8,000 to 12,000 jobs.
Coming Together
With the protest came the protestors, nearly 10,000 people from all walks of life. Other Native American tribes joined the fray as well, some are considering it to be the largest gathering of Native American tribes in modern history according to USA Today.
The protestors, in a sense, created a community that included people participating for a weekend, a week, or a few months despite the harsh North Dakota weather. Many people left jobs, families, and similarity to join the protest.
Now that there is a lull, while the Army Corps of Engineers researchers new routes with the consultation of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the chairman, Dave Archambault III, is asking people to go home.
He doesn’t expect any progress on the construction of the pipeline this winter and hopes that President-elect Donald Trump will be as understanding as the Obama administration.
“Their purpose has been served,” Archambault tells NPR, “It’s an opportunity for them to… spend the holidays with their families.”
