Protesters waited anxiously outside a federal courthouse Wednesday for a decision on whether or not the Dakota Access Pipeline construction will continue.
Advertisement
A group of 31 environmental advocacy organizations asked President Obama to repeal the authorizations for the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline on Thursday. Thousands held a rally, protesting outside a Washington D.C. court house where a federal judge is considering a temporary injunction to stop construction of the pipeline.
Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation lies just south of the pipeline’s path, say the protests are peaceful.
The Dakota Access Pipeline, as proposed.
A federal judge said Wednesday he would rule on or before September 9 on Standing Rock’s request for an emergency injunction to halt construction.
The company behind the pipeline, Energy Transport Partners, has said the project will boost local economies and is much safer than transporting oil by rail or road.
A section of the Dakota Access Pipeline would run underneath the Missouri River, a federally protected waterway.
Construction crews for the Bakken oil pipeline will be staying home Thursday.
For protesters, the roadblock perpetuates what they say is the misconception that their activities are inherently unsafe or violent – a perception many blame on comments made by authorities and state officials and media coverage – as opposed to the peaceful, prayer-heavy demonstrations that take place daily at the camp and construction site. “So this is historic that they answered that call”, said Jon Eagle Sr., Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
A Dakota Access spokeswoman said earlier this week that the company has “temporarily deferred grading activities” across a short section of the right-of-way, while “law enforcement works to contain the unlawful protests”. We have to understand, especially with water, how connected the Missouri River is with other communities – it’s not just their reservation. “They can’t drink the oil, they can’t take a bath in the oil”. In the past month, police have arrested more than two dozen people occupying the developer’s site. The supplies were provided last week by the North Dakota Department of Health at the request of the tribe.
“Out of 359 miles of pipeline we only had an opportunity of two sites to look at”, argued EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund attorney Jan Hasselman on behalf of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, referring to the consultation process. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux have set strict rules at the space they are calling Sacred Stone Camp: No weapons, alcohol or drugs.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a mouthpiece of the corporate defilers of the Earth, the Dakota Access Pipeline, one of the interrelated Bakken pipelines, has many big-name oil companies connected with it: “Dakota Access is being built by Energy Transfer Partners LP and its affiliate, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP”.
But for many, the pipeline symbolises a deeper issue among Native Americans. The group cited both the pipeline’s role in promoting the use of fossil fuels and the potential for an accident.
Advertisement
“We were never afforded that opportunity to protect our lands”.
