The NoDAPL Movement!

What Is The Dakota Access Pipeline

The Dakota Pipeline is a planned project with a completion date set for January 1st, 2017. It is being built by Energy Transfer Partners based out of Dallas, Texas. The purpose of this project is to transport roughly 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois. The estimated cost of the project is $3.7 Billion, which began proceedings in July of 2014. Dakota Access LLC, one of the companies behind the pipeline, estimates it will create 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs and 40 permanent operating jobs. It is believed it can generate $156 million in sales & income taxes. It will also create $55 million in property taxes for North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. The North Dakota’s Bakken formation is really large, with a potential 7.4 billion barrels of oil available. The pipeline is 1,172 miles long, and can make 374.3 million gallons of gasoline per day thanks to the hydrofracked oil. With such a large project that can help the regional economy, it would appear that it is a home run for everyone involved. Not so quick, these are just the positives of the Pipeline plan.

The Standing Rock Tribe of Sioux

The original plans for the Pipeline were redirected due to environmental concerns. The intention was for it to cross the Missouri River just north of Bismark, the capital of North Dakota. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded that this route was not a viable one, since it could affect the capital’s drinking water supply. The residents of Bismark are 90% white and spoke out against building the pipeline. State officials then decided to move the pipeline further south, tapping into Standing Rock Indian Reservation. This could affect the drinking water supply of over 8,000 Standing Rock Sioux Native Americans, and many more thousands of individuals in the surrounding areas. But how could this occur on sacred Native American grounds? The answer is quite simple. The government maintains the right to enforce eminent domain, allowing the government to seize lands they like for projects.

The Media Ignores The Protectors

Since early 2016, the largest Native American protest in American history has gone down in North Dakota. Over 200 different tribes totalling thousands have camped out in hopes to stop the construction of the Pipeline. They do not call themselves protestors, but call themselves “The Protectors”. They want to preserve the sacred lands, burial grounds, and want to make sure the Missouri River is not contaminated if the pipeline breaks. Thus far, over 400 arrests have been made. But two major concerns have come about during these protests. The media has largely ignored these large-scale protests. But even more dangerous has been the police treatment of the Native Americans, which has been downright militant.

Protectors have stood inside the river as a symbol of unity to protect the river, only to have police pepper spray their faces. Attack dogs have been unleashed on protestors. Police in riot gear have torn down teepees and sweat lodges, and forced tribesmen off the site. Some individuals have been shot with rubber pellets, while others have been beaten with batons. Police have also shot down any drones flying by recording video. The treatment of these tribes have been downright racist at times, but it is not first time in American history this has occured. European settlers often took lands from Native Americans to shape the United States to the nation it is today. The Native American population was often decimated, raped, or even forcibly relocated to isolated parts of the country that would make it difficult for them to prosper. It is a darn shame to see that discrimination against Native Americans is still present in the year 2016.

Winter Is Coming

With either candidates Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton forming a solid opinion of the Dakota Pipeline, it is safe to assume either would get involved. Barack Obama, who declined the Keystone XL pipeline, seems unlikely to interfere. With a cold winter approaching, with average temperatures of 0 Degrees F, the tribes have vowed to camp out the winter to continue protesting. With an increase of protestors, including celebrities, would it be enough to stop the large corporations from building the pipeline? Or will militarized police just continue clearing the path through violence by removing protestors from the building site. Not much is certain at this point, but what we do know is that this is yet another shameful moment in our nation’s history.