– Verna Bailey stared into the silvery ripples of a man-made lake, looking for the spot where she had been born. We had a community there.
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The tribe had challenged the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners’ $3.8 billion pipeline, saying that the project violates several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, and will harm water supplies.
Catherine Edwards, who is from Juneau but now lives in Washington, is a member of the Tlingit and Haida Central Council.
Protesters gathered Thursday outside U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offices in San Francisco to demand that the agency rescind the permit for a controversial crude oil pipeline in North Dakota. Opponents say a spill or break could poison the river. In the suit, the tribe said the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline “desecrated and destroyed” land where chiefs and other leaders were buried.
History, like a river, runs deep here.
Protestors say they are speaking out to protect the water supply, animals, farmland and sacred Native American grounds.
“The desecration of these ancient places has already caused the Standing Rock Sioux irreparable harm”, the tribe said.
“There’s families, there’s kids, they’ve even started a school there so that kids can go to school while being there”. The tribe has spent more than 20 years trying to gain control of 19,000 acres of waterfront land that was taken through eminent domain during dam construction. The protests have been peaceful, with few arrests until September 3 when police came armed with attack dogs.
The project route was thoroughly examined by archeological experts, she said, during a 13-month vetting process.
“Just about every part of their economy and living situation was impacted”, Lawson said. Deschampe and Porter proudly held the Grand Portage flag as Standing Rock Sioux Councilman Joe Dunn read the resolution.
A preliminary injunction is a request to the Court to preserve the status quo until the issues can be fully resolved.
Red Warrior Camp in southern North Dakota, set up to support the Standing Rock Sioux Nation’s fight against an oil pipeline, has swelled as thousands show up in support. The tribe says it was not properly consulted. In response to the violations, and in an effort to halt construction, members of the Sioux tribe occupied the entrance to construction sites.
On Thursday, North Dakota’s archaeologist said that piece of private land was not previously surveyed by the state would be surveyed next week and that if artifacts are found, pipeline work still could cease. At press time, the judge’s decision was still pending. The company said it hasn’t damaged any historical sites during construction.
The company plans to have the pipeline completed this year.
Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, the head of the Guard, says a handful of Guard members will help provide security at traffic checkpoints while another 100 Guard members will be on standby if needed to respond to any incidents.
On Thursday afternoon, a cluster of national guardsmen stood near a group of Morton County sheriff’s deputies at concrete barricades located midway between Bismarck, N.D., and the protesters.
John said it’s the younger generations of natives that need to get involved with their tribes. “The water that leaves our mountains, that’s the water they’re drinking”. After the river was dammed, she said, her parents were relocated to a small government-built house.
“I have to do something with that”, he said.
Fedorchak said the pipeline would have multiple safeguards – buried under the river bed to avoid contact with water, thicker pipe walls, and remotely-controlled shut-off valves.
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“What they were doing was stating that we are in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline”, said Marisa Cummings.
