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Native American Resistance to Dakota Access Pipeline

   The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAP or DAPL) since first learning about plans for the pipeline in 2014. But it's only been in the last year that their protest has gained national attention, as thousands of protesters—including  Native Americans from dozens of tribes and U.S. veterans —gathered in North Dakota in attempt to block the 1,200-mile project (background).

Resistance to the project has come from several angles:  Indian treaty rights, environmental concerns, and desecration of sacred Native sites, as well as the failure by government and business to seek or consider input by those affected sought prior to the decision.  Critics say the project could devastate the poorest people in the region; supporters argue there is no better alternative and call the protesters arguments myths.  SCJs in South Dakota report that almost all those living on the reservations they serve support the protests, while many if not most whites in the area (including Catholics) strongly oppose the protests.  It has been a divisive issue.

For months, observers reported on the militarization of the police force mobilized against the protesters, who except for some isolated incidents remained resolutely nonviolent.  At times the situation looked volatile.  Then in early December, opponents got a major win, as the United States Army Corps of Engineers effectively halted construction of the pipeline at Standing Rock.  Most protesters left the camp as the winter weather turned vicious.  However, President Trump — who may or may not have investments in both Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66, the owner of a quarter of the Dakota Access pipeline — has now reversed that decision with an Executive Order.

Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II last week rebuked activists arrested Wednesday for setting up a camp on private property and repeated the tribe’s call for supporters not to return to the camps.  “The fight is no longer here, but in the halls and courts of the federal government,” said Archambault.

This page will be updated frequently as things develop. 
New:  Federal judge says environmental review inadequate, handing a last-minute victory to Native tribes
            Related:  Trump Administration OKs Keystone XL Pipeline
            Appeals Court Refuses to Stop Oil in Pipeline, Judge Doubts Tribes Have Strong Case on Appeal
            Pope Speaks Out on Indigenous Rights, Without Explicitly Mentioning DAPL
            Tribe Files Legal Challenge to Stall Dakota Access Pipeline

          176,000 gallon oil spill 150 miles from Standing Rock

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Pres. Trump:  "Haven't had one call" of complaint about this decision
(click on image for video)

Staying Updated/Taking Action

One of the best sources of ongoing news coverage of this story is National Public Radio.  Click here to go to their archive.

For official statements of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as the actions the tribe is requesting of supporters, click here.

Visit the Standing Rock Protectors Facebook Page.


Faith Community Witness

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NCR reports more than 500 clergy and people of faith across religious denominations joined protest last November; but Catholics were few

A Catholic Perspective (Catholic Online)

"Doctrine of Discovery" makes this issue awkward for the Catholic Church

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Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair Cancels Meeting with White House, Claims They Won't Listen
(click image for video)


Snopes Debunks Popular Activist Talking Point

CLAIM
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) was re-routed through the Standing Rock Reservation after Bismarck's mostly-white residents refused to allow it near their water supply.

RATING:  Mixture
The tweets made a very specific claim about the Dakota Access pipeline’s contentious route: that the pipeline was only routed across the disputed territory because Bismarck’s white residents were unwilling to allow their own water supply to be threatened.

According to another tweet, the Sioux were “literally being forced at gunpoint” to allow the pipeline to cross their land when residents of Bismarck had simply been given the option to refuse it.

Articles about the claim referenced an 18 August 2016 story in the Bismarck Tribune as their source. The piece was published not long after the start of protests at Standing Rock, but some nuance was lost in subsequent citations of the article.


Both early reports and Army Corps of Engineers documents showed that an early, scrapped plan did propose a pipeline route north of Bismarck, but the Army Corps of Engineers opted to re-route it via Lake Oahe, citing a shorter pipeline, fewer water crossings, and reduced proximity to residential areas.

The decision appeared to have been unrelated to objections from residents of Bismarck, and no plan was ever solidified to route the pipeline north of the city before its residents shut it down.


Click here for full report
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