North Dakota Pipeline Vetoed

By Laura Jean Null
Staff Writer

After nearly two years of battling, the protesters against the North Dakota access pipeline are praising a major victory with the Army Corps announcing a decision of vetoing the interfering pipelines that were supposed to be constructed to cross the Missouri river above the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

According to USA Today, in December of 2015, “Energy Transfer Partners LP applied to build a pipeline spanning 1,172 miles and four states from North Dakota to Iowa. It would carry 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day and cost $3.78 billion.’’

Since April of 2016 there has been relentless protests in North Dakota near the Native American reservation known as Standing Rock, home of the Sioux tribe.

The pipeline had caused an uproar of strikers to prevent the pipeline from crossing over sacred land for the Sioux tribe.

The pipeline would not have only ruined the concept of the sacred land, but negatively impact the environment as well.

“The pipeline’s proximity to the reservation could have serious, lasting impacts to both Native American culture and environment, as an oil spill could affect the reservation’s water supply,” reported Keiki Zoll, writer for Romper.

Amongst the hundreds to thousands of protesters by Standing Rock and millions of supports online, celebrities had contributed to fighting for the protection of the Native American’s sacred land.

Well-known actress Shailene Woodley’s arrest and Speech at the 2016 Environmental Media Awards had sparked a wave of supporter protest for Standing Rock, a better environment and clean water.

The indigenous people of Standing Rock have lost land before to the United States government, reported in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe History, “Under article 12, no cession of land would be valid unless approved by three-fourths of the adult males. Nevertheless, the Congress unilaterally passed the Act of February 28, 1877 (19 stat. 254), removing the Sacred Black Hills from the Great Sioux Reservation.”

As for the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Sioux tribe would not tolerate injustice no more.

According to CBS News, “The government has ordered people to leave main encampment that’s on federal land in southern North Dakota by Monday.”

Despite that, the Los Angeles Times estimated 21,000 U.S. military veterans had gathered at the Dakota pipeline protest amongst hundreds of other peaceful demonstrators.

Throughout the Native history and United States history there has been multiple battles for ownership of land and Indian Rights.

As of Dec. 4, the protesters of the North Dakota access pipeline win the victory stopping the destruction of sacred land and preventing harm of the environment.

Email Laura at:
lnull@live.esu.edu