Dakota Access developer Energy Transfer Partners, says modern technology allows quick detection of leaks while supporters say it would improve safety by cutting the amount of oil that travels by train.
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A federal judge’s decision Friday could fuel heightened tensions in the battle over the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple has activated the North Dakota National Guard, with a handful of soldiers providing security at traffic checkpoints, and another 100 on standby to respond to any incidents.
Members of the Ponca, Santee, Winnebago and Omaha Tribes in Nebraska and Iowa along with others participate in a rally on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, in front of the Army Corps of Engineers offices in Omaha, Neb., to protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Dakotas and Iowa.
The ruling said that “this Court does not lightly countenance any depredation of lands that hold significance to the Standing Rock Sioux” and that, given the federal government’s history with the tribe, “the Court scrutinizes the permitting process here with particular care”.
Almost 40 people have been arrested since the protest began in April, including tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, though none stemmed from Saturday’s confrontation between protesters and construction workers. It led to Saturday’s clash between protesters and private security guards hired by the pipeline company. Tribal officials say about 30 protesters were pepper-sprayed and some were bitten by dogs after construction workers bulldozed alleged sacred sites.
Kate Silvertooth, who has no tribal affiliation, spent Thursday driving to the protest from Loveland, Colorado.
They’re awaiting a critical ruling from a federal judge on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to block the $3.8 billion pipeline over environmental concerns.
The Sacred Stones Overflow Camp is growing in size and number as more people arrive at the site along North Dakota Highway 1806 and across the Cannonball River from the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, Monday, Sept. 5, 2016 in Morton County, N.D.
Association President John Yellow Bird Steele, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, wrote Lynch yesterday about recent conflicts and said racial profiling is occurring.
Proponents of the pipeline argue it is cost-effective, environmentally responsible and a safe way to move crude oil that would reduce USA dependence on foreign oil.
The Corps did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday evening.
Construction can move ahead on Energy Transfer Partners LP’s controversial crude oil pipeline in North Dakota, a federal judge ruled, rejecting a request from Native Americans and environmentalists opposed to the project.
The tribe says the pipeline threatens sacred sites and drinking water.
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she’s working with North Dakota authorities to arrange a court date on charges related to her participation in a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline. It dissects North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa before reaching IL.
