The North Dakota pipeline protest is arguably the most influential protest of our time, regarding Native Americans and the environment. There are certain things that should be endowed to any human being. And two of those things are access to clean drinking water and a place to lay their loved ones to rest. Native people have been protesting the construction of the North Dakota access pipeline for months now, with no end in site. The construction of this pipeline threatens not just native peoples water supply but the water supply of millions of Americans as well. However, native people have been baring the burden for us. This story has received minimal amount of news converge, in spite of its importance. Making us question what do we really value as a society. Is it a clean environment and basic human rights? Or is it things like reality T.V.? If we really care about the things we say we value as a society it is about time to start showing it because they might not be around for much longer. On February 17th of 2015, the US Army Corps of Engineers sends a letter to Tribal Historic Preservation Office (Mother Jones). The letter asking permission to build The Dakota Access pipeline which is a $3.7 billion construction project that would transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of western North Dakota to Illinois.
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It would also be connected with other pipelines across the country (New York Times). The Tribal Historic Preservation Office denied the request due to concerns about unknown environmental effects as well as effects on historical burial grounds. The US Army Corps of Engineers claims that they never received this reply and sent a second letter that arrived on September 15, asking again if the Tribal Chairman would like to consult on the pipeline project. Again, the Tribal Chairman refused and expressed that he believes that “it has become clear that the Corps is attempting to circumvent the Section 106 process." The US Army Corps of Engineers then produced an assessment of the area stating "the Standing Rock THPO had indicated to DAPL that the Lake Oahu site avoided impacts to tribally significant sites." Their assessment received critical feedback from the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Interior, the American Council on Historical Preservation as well as neighboring tribes also expressed their displeasure with the plans (Mother Jones). You would think that the U.S. Corps of engineers would stop their plan to go ahead with the pipeline, due to the legitimate concerns of the native people. This was not the case, however. The Corps issued the fast-track permit required for the construction of the pipeline. Even though the pipeline was to be constructed underneath the Missouri River, which is only half a mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation boundary (Mother Jones). The river is the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, which is home to over 10,000 people. This caused the Sioux to sue the Army Corps of Engineers, on the grounds that the agency violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). National Historic Preservation Act is law that requires the US corps to consider the cultural significance of federally permitted sites as well as the implications on the waterways. The legal battle is ongoing, however, though the court has rejected the argument that construction should be halted until the case is resolved (Time). With no other recourse, the people of standing rock were forced to protest the pipeline. The protest grew to the thousands, as they blocked the cannonball North Dakota construction site. To quell the protests Greg Wilz, the division director of homeland security, ordered the removal of water tanks and trailers that had been providing protest camps with drinking water (Mother Jones). After this thing just continued to escalate. Violence began to occur after tribal officials say pipeline construction crews bulldozed over their ancestral burial grounds. The construction company hired private security contractors to keep protestors at bay. A violent clash broke out between the protestors and the security forces. Two guard dogs were injured one of the security officers was
It would also be connected with other pipelines across the country (New York Times). The Tribal Historic Preservation Office denied the request due to concerns about unknown environmental effects as well as effects on historical burial grounds. The US Army Corps of Engineers claims that they never received this reply and sent a second letter that arrived on September 15, asking again if the Tribal Chairman would like to consult on the pipeline project. Again, the Tribal Chairman refused and expressed that he believes that “it has become clear that the Corps is attempting to circumvent the Section 106 process." The US Army Corps of Engineers then produced an assessment of the area stating "the Standing Rock THPO had indicated to DAPL that the Lake Oahu site avoided impacts to tribally significant sites." Their assessment received critical feedback from the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Interior, the American Council on Historical Preservation as well as neighboring tribes also expressed their displeasure with the plans (Mother Jones). You would think that the U.S. Corps of engineers would stop their plan to go ahead with the pipeline, due to the legitimate concerns of the native people. This was not the case, however. The Corps issued the fast-track permit required for the construction of the pipeline. Even though the pipeline was to be constructed underneath the Missouri River, which is only half a mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation boundary (Mother Jones). The river is the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, which is home to over 10,000 people. This caused the Sioux to sue the Army Corps of Engineers, on the grounds that the agency violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). National Historic Preservation Act is law that requires the US corps to consider the cultural significance of federally permitted sites as well as the implications on the waterways. The legal battle is ongoing, however, though the court has rejected the argument that construction should be halted until the case is resolved (Time). With no other recourse, the people of standing rock were forced to protest the pipeline. The protest grew to the thousands, as they blocked the cannonball North Dakota construction site. To quell the protests Greg Wilz, the division director of homeland security, ordered the removal of water tanks and trailers that had been providing protest camps with drinking water (Mother Jones). After this thing just continued to escalate. Violence began to occur after tribal officials say pipeline construction crews bulldozed over their ancestral burial grounds. The construction company hired private security contractors to keep protestors at bay. A violent clash broke out between the protestors and the security forces. Two guard dogs were injured one of the security officers was