The lawsuit alleges that the pipeline, which would be placed less than a mile upstream of the tribe’s reservation, could impact drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions who rely on it downstream.
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Santa Fe citizens have been traveling to CannonBall, North Dakota to attend the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It says construction activities in that area will “destroy sites of enormous cultural importance”, causing “injury” to the tribe on a cultural, spiritual and historical level.
A camp set up to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s fight against the oil pipeline has swelled over the past few days, now populated by thousands of people from across North America.
Protesters in San Francisco Thursday morning said the pipeline was illegal because the Army Corps of Engineers did not consult with the tribe as required be federal law, and because the agency improperly used a permitting process that allowed it to skip environmental review and public comment. A separate lawsuit filed Thursday by a South Dakota tribe also challenges the decisions to grant the permits. It’s grown considerably, as they’ve been joined by other American Indians and non-Native Americans from across the country, including celebrities such as “Divergent” actress Shailene Woodley.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is expected to rule by Friday on the tribe’s request to temporarily stop construction on the Dakota Access pipeline. The protest has become heated, with almost 40 arrested, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman David Archambault II. She is attending the protests as a citizen activist. Stein and Baraka have been charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
The lawsuit was filed ahead of a federal judge’s impending ruling on a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to stop the four-state pipeline.
Some two dozen troops will help with security at traffic checkpoints – the closest of which is about 30 miles (48 km) from the protest site, said Guard spokeswoman Amber Balken.
But the temporary work stop came only after a violent confrontation over the weekend between people from the camp and private security guards armed with dogs and pepper spray.
Picha says state officials earlier surveyed the route, but not the disputed site, which is on private land west of State Highway 1806.
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North Dakota’s chief archaeologist plans to inspect an area along the route of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline where Standing Rock Sioux officials say they’ve identified cultural artifacts.
