In his declaration to the court, Tim Mentz Sr., former historic preservation officer for the tribe, said he was invited by the private landowner of property west of Highway 1806 to conduct a formal survey because he was concerned about sacred sites.
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The pipeline company, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, said it would not comment regarding who is providing the private security detail, which has been in place since last month, or what they’ve been told to do when facing protesters.
The Army Corps of Engineers approved the oil pipeline in July, allowing it to run under the Missouri River close to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation.
The tribe has requested a halt to the construction of a 2-mile stretch of the pipeline near Lake Oahe, North Dakota, to prevent the destruction of sacred and culturally significant sites.
The tribe requested the stoppage after a weekend confrontation between protesters and construction workers near Lake Oahe due to workers allegedly bulldozing sites that attorney Jan Hasselman said were “of great historic and cultural significance to the tribe”.
In Washington, D.C., a federal judge ruled that construction on sacred tribal burial sites in the path of the Dakota Access pipeline can continue, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order that partially halts construction.
Dalrymple spokesman Jeff Zent said plans are also in the works to “enhance” patrols in Bismarck and neighboring Mandan, about 40 miles from the protest site, but those coincide with an annual powwow that draws hundreds of dancers from around the country.
He said some protesters had hatchets and knives, and two secured themselves to heavy equipment.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Tuesday reportedly denied an emergency request for a restraining order filed by the Standing Rock Sioux.
Protesters, pictured walking toward the site of a pipeline project, also fear the Dakota Access Pipeline will pollute their water.
Attorneys for Energy Transfer Partners filed court documents Tuesday denying that workers have destroyed any cultural sites.
A protest of the $3.8 billion oil pipeline from North Dakota to IL turned violent on Saturday. That ruling should come down by Friday.
The pipeline company hasn’t responded to the tribe’s motion.
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Ironically, in court documents, the Army Corps of Engineers acknowledges that the Standing Rock Sioux Nation notified the Corps about burials near the pipeline route: “At the Cannonball Ranch, there are burials of notable Standing Rock members and their families including Maltida Galpin, Alma Parken, Louisa Degray Van Solen, and Charles Picotte, among whom are signatories on the Treaty of Fort Laramie”. A decision is expected by Friday.
