What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Dakota Pipeline

In North Dakota, thousands of people stood together to protest against the production of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The protesters’ main camp was on government land, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering said that they would start arresting them. The purpose of the pipeline is to connect oil rich areas from North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline is being built near an American Indian Reservation, and they feel that by building the pipeline their environmental and economic well-being would be threatened. The pipeline could also have positive effects on the people who live in and around the area near the pipeline by offering jobs. This pipeline would be a regional effect in the northern states, but to some people, it might not be a bad thing. …show more content…
One of the cons is that the Native Americans who live on the reservation feel that if the pipeline is built under the Missouri river as planned, one day in the future it could get damaged and spill oil into the Missouri river. Millions of people use the Missouri river as their main water source, so by spilling oil into it, those millions of people would be stuck with limited water resources. It would also cost billions of dollars to build, which takes away money from the state and local governments that they may need for emergencies in the future. On the other hand, the pipeline has many pros for the people of the region. By building the pipeline, it would provide thousands of jobs. It would also generate millions in tax revenue, but one of the major pros is that it would help make the U.S. less independent on other countries for oil. Because oil is a natural resource, it will eventually run out. Therefore, the countries that are acting as the main suppliers of oil will eventually run out. The U.S. would benefit from being more independent when it comes to oil and other things that are being supplied from other