Native Americans Fight Against the Dakota Access Pipeline

Native American tribe of the Standing Rock Sioux has firmly opposed the plan of the Dakota Access Pipeline since its inception in the year 2014.  But the issue has escalated as it gains the attention of the national press when thousands of Native Americans have protested in the North Dakota to try to stop the impending project.  With both parties showing no sign of withdrawing, the battle is projected to continue further.

Things You Need to Know about Dakota Pipeline and Why the Tribes Want to Stop It

The pipeline project will be constructed by Energy Transfer Partner which is a firm based in Texas.  The pipeline is intended to deliver around 570,000 crude oil barrels everyday from North Dakota all the way to Illinois.  This project will serve as a major conduit which is designed to connect all the oil wells in the entire state of Bakken Shale.  As we all know, the advancement in the fracking on the state has opened various opportunities on the local consumer market in the East Coast, Gulf Coast, and the Midwest.  This multi-billion dollar project was initially proposed in the 2014 and is previously anticipated to complete this year.

Why Are the Native Americans Protesting?

The project has united various groups that are firm with their objections; however, the Native Tribe of America remains in the center of the issue since the pipeline is designed to cross the river of Missouri which is considered as the main drinking reservoir of the Sioux tribe.  The population of the tribe is around 10,000 in the reservation located at South and North Dakota.  The company assigned in building the pipeline has reaffirmed that they have taken extreme measures that will guarantee the integrity of the pipeline especially during the time of disaster.

But opposing groups has pointed out the fact that even the safest and state-of-the-art pipeline has a tendency to leak and a tiny spill can put thousands of lives at risk.  Standing Rock Sioux are also opposing the project since it will cross a sacred burial ground.  Regardless if the pipeline project is technically not located at the reservation, the leaders of the tribe are arguing the fact that their tribe has not been adequately involved with the process which is a strict regulation under the law.

The protest has been joined by various environmentalists believing that the project will create a huge impact on the climate change.  They claimed that the fossil fuels which include the huge reserves located at Bakken Shale will need to be buried deep underground to protect the environment.
The current Obama administration reacted to the issue by putting the project into a temporary stop last September, but the Federal court interceded and permitted the pipeline project to continue.  No further steps or statement was released by the current administration regarding the feud.