Protests have been held in the US, Europe, Japan and New Zealand over the US$3.8 billion pipeline, which is planned to run through native American land in North Dakota.
Advertisement
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe failed in its bid to have a judge make the federal government’s “voluntary” stoppage an order; while at the same time, the Dakota Access pipeline company says it remains committed to the project.
Northern Colorado residents will gather Wednesday in Fort Collins to show solidarity for the Standing Rock Sioux and other Native American tribes fighting to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Holding signs and banners and chanting “Oil Kills”, protesters in Atlanta on Tuesday shouted support for Native American activists trying to stop construction of a North Dakota pipeline they say will desecrate sacred land and pollute water.
The pipeline’s developer maintains the pipeline is safe and will allow America to achieve energy independence. The tribe has claimed the pipeline infringes on their burial grounds and will affect their water resources.
“It is long past time to call into question all these risky pipeline projects that have become increasingly common, generally with far less public notice than the Dakota Access pipeline, or the similar successful campaign against the Keystone XL pipeline, has garnered”, Ross added.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg declined to block the pipeline, but the federal agencies stopped work on a small portion of the pipeline near Lake Oahe while they re-examine their approval of the pipeline on Army Corps of Engineers’ land.
– A rally took place Tuesday night in Phoenix as part of a national day of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
The federal departments said the case “highlighted the need for a serious discussion” about nationwide reforms “with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects”. The tribe has also expressed concerns that a pipeline could rupture, and put their water supply at risk.
He directed Energy Transfer employees to “continue to conduct your jobs in a thoughtful and professional manner”, demonstrating “to the world that we are playing by the rules”.
Advertisement
“Infrastructure plays a critical role in maintaining and growing America’s energy renaissance and it’s important that our energy infrastructure is able to meet the needs of consumers and our growing economy”, he said in a written statement. Some protestors, who locked themselves to construction machinery, were arrested on Tuesday after causing construction to grind to a halt. When fully operational, the pipeline would carry 470,000 barrels of oil a day.
