North Dakota Pipeline

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a topic of controversy since it was first announced to the public June 25th, 2014. This pipeline will run under the Missouri river to transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken oil fields to Patoka, Illinois, despite it being built on Sioux Nation territory grated to them through the 1851Treaty of Fort Laramie. This poses a threat to many tribes, including the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, for their concern of the environmental impacts, possible water contamination, and the destruction of sacred burial grounds.

Justin Worland reports in TIME, since 2010, 3,300 incidents of leaks and ruptures have been reported on oil pipelines and even the smallest spill could damage the tribes water supply. This can be very controversial, but with over 10,000 Native Americans living on the Standing Rock Reservation, many lives may be affected. In fact, the pipeline would travel directly under the Missouri River which is the tribes primary drinking water source. Also, Native Americans received specific rights they have obtained since 1898. The Lakota tribe signed the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1898 that protects hunting, fishing and water rights in the surrounding area(Ward). As a result of signing this treaty, officials cannot threaten their water by installing a pipeline. Furthermore, the 1972 Clean Water Act declares it is unlawful to discharge any pollutant from an identifiable source into bodies of water without a permit(Brodwin). The problem found within the pipeline is that is causes potential harm to drinking water. Therefore, the significance of Native Americans relying on this drinking water overpowers the installation of the Dakota Access

In this article, author James McPherson discusses the key players in the Dakota Access Pipeline. He outlines not only outlines the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and the pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, but also the Governor of North Dakota, the Tribal Chairman,

The Dakota Access Pipeline is an oil pipeline that will run just half a mile outside of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers have approved the project, despite concerns from the tribe and others

As professor Ferguson related “Six months ago the Dakota Access Pipeline was provided a permit for the construction to begin. For six months or so there has been development of this pipeline. Now, enter the Standing Rock Sioux, which are one of the Sioux nations, a sovereign indigenous tribe who has historically experienced loss of land and tree rights and been prevalent in this area. Many of them have been pushed into these certain areas called reservations were the last remnants of land were provided, this history is important. The broken promise of the government and other parties that promised that things would be okay has been long standing.” For the standing Rock Sioux they see the pipeline going through the Missouri River as creating problems with water access for the tribe, change in the water environment and a threat to their access to water quality. Secondly, the pipeline itself is also going to upset and encroach upon Native American burial sights and artifact sights that have existed for years untouched until there was a change in the interest regarding oil. This pipeline has threatened these rights for the Standing Rock Sioux. As a Sovereign Nation, they see this change fueled by national and corporate interest as a direct threat to their nationhood because access to water is key to survival. Professor Ferguson also emphasized that “There is also a larger story, and it comes from the call for all for the great Sioux Nation and all indigenous people to come and gather in protest against the pipeline. These protest then have larger meaning because they address the threat to indigenous people around the world and not just in the united states” because often times the narrative of losses for indigenous people around the world are a very similar

The area known as the Standing Rock Indian Reservation located in North Dakota and along the Missouri River, has been targeted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other governmental entities, to construct a 1,172-mile-long pipe, right through the area’s clean water and ancient burial grounds. The United States Government is in favor of the project for its economic benefit, while the Indian American tribes of Standing Rock are against the project due to the harmful implications that this pipe brings to their wellbeing and their heritage. With the news that this pipe was originally headed towards Bismarck North Dakota, (90% white population) and then re-routed towards Native lands, the question can be brought up: why was the pipe rerouted?

running from North Dakota to Illinois. The proposed pipeline will run directly through the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's land, threatening the water source

The Energy Transfer Partners wants to install the Dakota Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, but the Sioux tribe is fighting to stop the installation of the pipeline to preserve their culture and assert their right to the property. The Dakota Pipeline is an oil pipeline that would transport oil from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois. The Dakota Pipeline should not be installed because it disrespects the Native Americans’ culture and discriminates against The Sioux, a minority within the United States. The unjust treatment of Native Americans is due to the government’s disregard for Native American property rights and the government’s belief that they can simply take Native American property away because they are

Protect the native’s land and the planet! The Dakota Pipeline project is not going to be as beneficial as it’s made out to be. “It’s a 3.7 billion dollar project that would cross four states. The results could be an economic boon that makes the country more self-sufficient or an environmental disaster that destroys sacred Native American sites” (Yan). Construction of the Dakota pipeline does not only violate the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, but implementing this pipeline will release more pollution, risk contamination of the water supply, and provide temporary jobs.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a pipeline that moves crude oil from the west side of North Dakota to the border of Illinois and Canada. There is a lot of controversy around it because it runs right past The Great Sioux Reservation. The Reservation has had many problems with the US Government throughout the years. Many people are protesting the construction of it, much to their prevail, Obama’s administration delayed its construction.

The construction of this pipeline has raised a lot of controversy regarding its necessity, but also in the potential impact on the environment. On the list of controversies, it is facing the established route for the pipeline because it runs half-mile near of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, crossing beneath the Missouri River. The concern is the huge impact this would cause if the pipeline breaks near to the river spilling the crude oil into the river contaminating the drinking water. The other concern is that as this pipe passes very close to the Indian reservation, it also disturbs sacred land. In addition to all this, there is the controversy of the use of eminent domain by the government, to get the land for the construction of the pipeline.

The likelihood of this pipeline bursting and spilling oil into the land and water it passes through is not completely out of the picture. Although trucks or trains transporting oil have a higher chance of spilling, according to the article, "the International Energy Agency found that pipelines spill much more in term of volume." This could be very bad news in terms of polluting the land and water used everyday. Some of the land this line is set to run through is farmland. Even if a spill never occurred, this farmland would still be damaged during the installment of the pipeline when having to dig it up. Among this land is private property, whose land is unwillingly being used for the implication of the pipeline (Sammon). Not only are farmers' lands at risk of damage, but sacred ground of Native Americans are in the middle of the crossfire as well. "The Standing Rock Sioux tribe says the project threatens its drinking water source and could destroy ancient sacred sites," explains Agence France-Presse. The installment of the pipeline will damage their sacred grounds, and if it would even spill, would pollute their only water source for drinking and irrigation as well as the land they live off

(Sills) Therefore, the pipeline would create further problems in the future involving enviromental issues which is why it shouldn’t be built at all. Another piece of evidence from an article provided by CNN claiming how the pipeline endangers wildlife habitat. The Dakota Access pipeline would carry 450,000 barrels of dirty oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois and cut through fragile wildlife habitat, enviromentally sensitive areas and sovereign tribal property. (Yan) The pipeline not only endangers people’s land but animals habitat and potentially their lives. It shows the ignorance of damaging wildlife and adding on to the enviromental problems we as a community already have to be concerned over. These evidentail pieces provide the ways the Dakota Access pipeline could potentially endanger are enviroment now and in the upcoming months ahead. While thousands of protesters contribute to refusing the Dakota Access pipeline construction to continue because of enviromental issues as well as invading the Sioux tribes land, the Army Corps of Engineers claims that not only will it benefit more oil but the route is a safer and more enviromentally friendly way of moving oil to other transportations such as railroads and

“For years, the Keystone pipeline has occupied what I frankly consider an over-inflated role in our political discourse,” said Obama (Article 2, Pg. 2). The Keystone and the Dakota pipeline one of two rejected by government administration. Protest still till this day are being held by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, other Native American tribes, and other supporters, to put a stop to the building of the pipeline which carries crude oil through: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.

But, according to Yan (2016) the pipeline can have either a great economic benefit for the United States or it can cause an environmental disaster. The pipeline also is going to run through sacred Native American land and water source (Jensen 2016). This brings in protestors that range from humanist, Native Americans, environmentalist, state residents and even Hollywood celebrities (Yan 2016). According to Jensen (2016), these peaceful protestors are being treated harshly by law enforcement, which makes the pipeline even more controversial. The police are trying to run out the protestors by “using freezing water and concussion grenades” during winter conditions to get them to leave Cannon Ball, ND (Jensen 2016). Law enforcement doesn’t want the area to “swell” with protestors again when it comes spring (Reuters 2017). These protestors just want to be heard, which they were in Obama’s administration, but Trump’s administration wants to continue construction with or without the support of the community. This could be due to Trump’s investment and profit in the pipeline (Mufson 2016). On the another hand, the pipeline can help the economy by making the United States more independent on oil and reducing the use of trains. In some cases, trains that are carrying oil cargo has been derailed and exploding. This would also bring down cost for shipments with