In numerous court filings over the past week, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have alleged that the company overseeing the pipeline construction, Dakota Access, has engaged in the destruction of lands that have cultural and historical significance for the tribe.
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Twilling, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton-Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, said he’s been impressed by the dozens of tribes coming together.
The lawsuit, which requested a halt in construction on the pipeline, was struck down by Washington Judge James E. Boasberg, who stated that regulators acted appropriately when issuing permits. The tribe sued the corps over its permit for the Missouri River crossing, arguing the federal agency failed to properly consult the tribe. Too often, that consultation is a sham and that is what occurred here. “Today, three federal agencies announced the significant decision to respect tribal sovereignty and stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on Army Corps land”. But the Justice Department, the Department of the Army and the Interior Department then blocked construction in the most contested areas of the planned pipeline, pending further discussion. Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, right, greets Wayland Gray, of Muskogee Creek Hickory Ground, Okla.at the organized protest on the North Dakota state capitol grounds on Friday, Sept.
No matter what the government or courts ultimately decide, numerous people who call themselves “water protectors” coming together at the camp near Cannon Ball, N.D. have said they’re prepared to continue the resistance despite the bulldozers.
Friday’s announcements come amid increasingly confrontational protests against the project, which will transport oil produced in the Bakken and Three Forks fields of North Dakota to a terminal in IL.
But the clergy leader said at one protest site, he saw a young man who had chained himself to a piece of equipment belonging to the company in charge of the pipeline project.
The pipeline’s developer, Energy Transfer Partners, has predicted the project would help the United States become less dependent on importing oil from unstable regions of the world.
The tribe responded on Facebook to the voluntary stoppage, saying in part, “This federal statement is a game changer for the Tribe and we are acting immediately on our legal options, including filing an appeal and a temporary injunction to force DAPL to stop construction”.
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple activated the North Dakota National Guard on Thursday in anticipation of the ruling.
Since April, the Standing Rock Sioux Native American tribe has been protesting the construction of an oil pipeline in near their North Dakota reservation, claiming that it would violate several federal laws, compromise their water supply, and disturb ancient sites.
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The tribe haggled with the oil pipeline developers over whether the National Historic Preservation Act, which allows the government to preserve historical and archaeological sites, can and should be used to prevent the building of the $3.8 million pipeline. “I think that’s clear”. She also said the protest will continue.
