North Dakota Pipeline Reroute

Throughout this paper I will try to prove that the proposed establishment of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a direct infringement upon the human rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota. In order to make this claim I shall directly address three elements: First, the evidence of possible inequality of this situation, secondly the explanatory progress of how and why this situation has come to be as it is, and finally the justice of how things ought to be (Walker, 2012).

On Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would have come a half a mile south of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota. HOWEVER, Instead, the Corps said it would begin to explore alternative routes. While members of the tribe and its allies celebrated the decision, some worry that the victory may only be temporary, given President-elect Donald Trump’s support for the almost 1,200 mile-long pipeline.However, North Dakota’s governor, the company and members of the state’s congressional delegation all denounced the decision. Therefore, members of the tribe have said for many months that the pipeline would destroy sacred lands and were worried an oil leak could

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota has made headlines throughout the US because of their reaction to what they feel is a threat to not only their sacred lands but also the water source of the whole tribe, along with many others. The construction of an oil pipeline going through North and South Dakota while going under the Missouri River has caused this major controversy. This pipeline that is soon being built has been a project that was halted before by the past president Obama in late 2016. The project called Bakken or better known as the Dakota Access Pipeline, is being built by Energy Transfer Partners. This is a 3.8 billion dollar oil pipeline that would stretch over 1,100 miles long through North

The tribe says that the project will cut through land that is sacred and that the construction will destroy burial sites, prayer sites and culturally significant artifacts. Standing Rock has the right to their land.

There has been a great amount of pushback from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, a Native American group in North Dakota, against the instillation of an oil pipeline by Dakota Access. According to tribal leaders, the installation of this pipeline will damage the tribe’s water supply, and will disrupt areas that have great cultural significance to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The land is regarded as sacred to the tribe members, and the construction will tarnish the land. At this moment, there is no final decision regarding the completion of the pipeline (Cite).

Originally the DAPL was supposed to cross the Missouri River near Bismarck, but it was moved over concerns that any oil spilling would have destroyed the state capital’s drinking water. Consequently, the pipeline was shifted to a crossing approximately 805 meters from the reservation. The Standing Rock Sioux argue that the government did not consult with them enough and that the new crossing includes destruction of sacred spots and old indigenous burial grounds (Sidder, 2016). Moreover, an oil spill into Missouri River would be the death sentence to Standing Rock as it is their only drinking water supply. But the real controversy behind the DAPL is about larger philosophical and ideological issues. It is a pattern of deep injustice from the

The native americans and other DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) opposers are filled with determination, distress, passion, and such resentment towards the pipeline project because it would run under and through ground that their ancestors knew as sacred and those beliefs are still very alive to this day. The pipeline is a 1,172 mile underground oil pipeline that will aid transporting oil through all 50 states in the USA; it was projected to go through sacred lands, reservations, and rivers. There are multifarious issues and concerns pertaining to project but some of the preeminent concerns are; historic preservation and sacred grounds becoming significantly damaged and irreparable, climate change and how it would just increase the production of CO2, and potential pipeline fractures and spills that would mutilate the crucial nearby farms and threaten contaminate for the water supply of thousands of people who depend on it.

With the rise in violence, the United States government must dispute equally amongst both sides. The land, in which the pipeline will be built, is not owned by the Sioux; it is owned by the federal government. The pipeline will pass through the land, but will not pass through the Sioux reservation. The pipeline is a resource that the U.S. is dependent on. Oil is a main contributor to the U.S. economy and without it, there would be a drastic change in the economy. A simple soloution could be to redirect the pipeline to where it does not cross the Sioux's holy land, but crosses through the Missouri River - containing already more than seven other pipelines - and must be secured so the water is not polluted by leakage in the pipe. This solution

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a topic of controversy since it was first announced to the public June 25th, 2014. This pipeline will run under the Missouri river to transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken oil fields to Patoka, Illinois, despite it being built on Sioux Nation territory grated to them through the 1851Treaty of Fort Laramie. This poses a threat to many tribes, including the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, for their concern of the environmental impacts, possible water contamination, and the destruction of sacred burial grounds.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a story that has been in the media for months, with a great deal of controversy surrounding it. Many have heard and seen the protests that are ongoing, in hopes to halt its construction. The most passionate opponents of this pipeline are the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, in North Dakota. While the pipeline does not cut through sacred land, it does pass under the Missouri River, a vital source of water for the tribe. This controversy is one with many sides and moreover, many misconceptions. The Dakota Access Pipeline is an ethically corrupt and potentially disastrous project that threatens the safety and wellbeing of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

As professor Ferguson related “Six months ago the Dakota Access Pipeline was provided a permit for the construction to begin. For six months or so there has been development of this pipeline. Now, enter the Standing Rock Sioux, which are one of the Sioux nations, a sovereign indigenous tribe who has historically experienced loss of land and tree rights and been prevalent in this area. Many of them have been pushed into these certain areas called reservations were the last remnants of land were provided, this history is important. The broken promise of the government and other parties that promised that things would be okay has been long standing.” For the standing Rock Sioux they see the pipeline going through the Missouri River as creating problems with water access for the tribe, change in the water environment and a threat to their access to water quality. Secondly, the pipeline itself is also going to upset and encroach upon Native American burial sights and artifact sights that have existed for years untouched until there was a change in the interest regarding oil. This pipeline has threatened these rights for the Standing Rock Sioux. As a Sovereign Nation, they see this change fueled by national and corporate interest as a direct threat to their nationhood because access to water is key to survival. Professor Ferguson also emphasized that “There is also a larger story, and it comes from the call for all for the great Sioux Nation and all indigenous people to come and gather in protest against the pipeline. These protest then have larger meaning because they address the threat to indigenous people around the world and not just in the united states” because often times the narrative of losses for indigenous people around the world are a very similar

Depending on their upbringings and potential distortion to one’s thought process, could lead to disregard of ongoing events. One major benefit of the Dakota Access Pipeline is the creation of more than 12,000 jobs (Dakota Access Pipeline 12). This increase in jobs would only be sustained while the pipeline is being constructed. Another benefit is the reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil and allowing the U.S. economy to grow, but a break in the pipeline could lead to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe potentially losing their only water source. One major socio-cultural issue involved is the way Native Americans perceive the Earth and its resources, compared to how Non-Natives perceive the Earth. Native Americans perceive the Earth as the provider of all life, along with it being very sacred to them. Resulting in the utmost respect for the Earth, and the responsibility for its well-being. One with opposing viewpoints should consider the rather negative and the heart wrenching history of the Native American people. Then and only then one can begin to understand the pride and heart of the Native American people. The constant battle with modern day Genocide and Colonization is one of the main driving forces behind the protest of the Dakota Access

The Dakota Access pipeline claims to be a $3.7 billion project that would carry 470,000 barrels of oil per day. From the oil field of western North Dakota to Illinois where it will be link to other pipelines. The pipeline is speculated to create 8000-12,000 construction jobs as well as pump millions of dollars into local economies. In contrast, members of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sees the pipeline as a major environmental and cultural threat. They say it is routed over ancestral land where their forebears hunted and fished and were buried. They argue the pipeline could desecrate their ancestral burial grounds and also contaminate

Native Americans are being disrespected, harmed, and their homeland is being taken from them. Am I talking about events taken place centuries ago? No, because these unfortunate circumstances yet again are occurring right here, now, in the present. This horrid affair has a name: The Dakota Access Pipeline. This Pipeline is an oil transporting pipeline, which is funded by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, who have devised a plan for the pipeline to run through the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. However, unfortunately, this pipeline will run straight through the reservation of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, expressing their distress for the pipeline have said, that the pipeline will be “Destroying our burial sites, prayer sites, and culturally significant artifacts,” Arguments for the pipeline however have tried to counter this claim, trying to emphasize that “The pipeline wouldn 't just be an economic boon, it would also significantly decrease U.S. reliance on foreign oil”, and that the pipeline is estimated to produce “374.3 million gallons of gasoline per day.”, which could help the sinking oil economy. (Yan, 2016) However, despite the economical growth it could achieve, the Dakota Access Pipeline could have damaging environmental effects on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the areas surrounding.

The Dakota Access Pipeline will cause devastating effects for the Indigenous Peoples. While the economic outputs of the pipeline will benefit the local government, the environmental effects and cultural devastation far outweigh the financial inputs. The systemic racism Native Americans face greatly affects them to this day. The fact that they are Native American plays a significant role in