North Dakota Access Pipeline Research Paper

The DAPL has mainly been constructed on private land. However, some of the pipeline crosses under or near waterways that are managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Federal government. And some of this land is near the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who argues that the pipeline will destroy undiscovered artifacts and could potentially cause contamination to the tribes major water sources. There have been protests of the building of the pipeline near Lake Oahe because that is the tribe 's main source of water. The protesters think that they have the right to be on the land where they are protesting because it was given to the tribe in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie which was immediately broken. The settlers, at the time continued to take their land and much of it remained in the settlers hands and has since been sold or inherited by family members. The natives still believe it is

The Dakota Access Pipeline a controversy for many not just in North Dakota but around the U.S Should the construction continue, or due to extreme circumstances should it be halted immediately. This paper will go over all of the key facts about the Dakota Access Pipeline. How the pipeline is going to affect the environment, the production of oil and greenhouse gasses, the violence, and the fate for the U.S. if we violate sacred treaties.

The Treaty of Fort Laramie of April 29, 1868 described the boundaries of the reservation which is the east bank of the Missouri river to the Nebraska line. The Native Americans that are apart of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have been protesting the pipeline being built for nearly two years. The uproar from the protesters started in July when the engineers asked for a permit to build the pipeline to cross under the missouri river at Lake Oahe. The native americans have began protesting for a number of reasons. The first is that the tribe get their water from the Missouri River and any oil spills could put their drinking water at risk. The start of the construction has begun digging up the Sioux sacred burial sites. I feel the pipeline should not cross under because it would be going against the Treaty of Fort Laramie and because that is the native americans sacred

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has not given up their fight to end this project. The tribe claims that they had no consent of the route of this project until the construction began. This caused major controversy and also caused the halt in the construction of the pipeline. The tribe also accused the government of illegally taking land from them and it is the law to consult with the land owners before construction.

Now the situation that is currently going on is between the Sioux and DAPL. Sioux say that the “Dakota Access Pipeline would cut through sacred land, and that it would contaminate the tribes water source, also which would violate the National Historic Preservation Act” (Rowena, Lindsay The Christian Science

For one, the pipeline would come close to-if not invade-private property due to the Iowa Utilities Board grant. This grant permits the ETP, Energy Transfer Partners, to possess private property without permission from the owner (Mother Jones). Also, due to a reservation built less than a mile away from the project, the Standing Rock Sioux tribes would have to deal with many issues, the biggest being unsafe drinking water. Not only that, but it's almost guaranteed that the pipeline at some point would leak, as oil pipelines have a record of. A leak, even if it isn't major, could devastate thousands of people living near

running from North Dakota to Illinois. The proposed pipeline will run directly through the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's land, threatening the water source

Many people consider the DAPL to be an environmental disaster that destroys sacred Native American sites according to CNN. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota claims that “the construction and operation of the pipeline… threatens the Tribe’s environmental and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe” (CNN). The people of the Tribe are protesting by holding up signs that say things such a ‘No DAPL’ and ‘Defend the Sacred’ while there are police officers that are releasing pepper spray gas into the air and unleashing a high-pitched siren to disperse the crowd. The people of the Tribe are not only being taken over by the Pipeline, but are also being mistreated for standing up for their sacred land. Not only would the project threaten the Tribe’s land, the pipe would run underneath the Missouri River, affecting drinking water. If the pipe would rupture, the oil would contaminate the water supply for thousands of people and possibly cause sickness for those affected. Also, the contaminated water could harm the fish and birds that live in and around the river. This could lead to peoples’ food being contaminated which could also lead to sickness. There are many negative aspects of the DAPL that affect people and the environment. The

(Sills) Therefore, the pipeline would create further problems in the future involving enviromental issues which is why it shouldn’t be built at all. Another piece of evidence from an article provided by CNN claiming how the pipeline endangers wildlife habitat. The Dakota Access pipeline would carry 450,000 barrels of dirty oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois and cut through fragile wildlife habitat, enviromentally sensitive areas and sovereign tribal property. (Yan) The pipeline not only endangers people’s land but animals habitat and potentially their lives. It shows the ignorance of damaging wildlife and adding on to the enviromental problems we as a community already have to be concerned over. These evidentail pieces provide the ways the Dakota Access pipeline could potentially endanger are enviroment now and in the upcoming months ahead. While thousands of protesters contribute to refusing the Dakota Access pipeline construction to continue because of enviromental issues as well as invading the Sioux tribes land, the Army Corps of Engineers claims that not only will it benefit more oil but the route is a safer and more enviromentally friendly way of moving oil to other transportations such as railroads and

In an act of racism and climate change has caused an uproar from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Sioux Tribe is suing to stop crews from burrowing beneath the Missouri river which is upstream from that Sioux Tribes land. According to the history of Standing Rock, “History” from www.standingrock.org, they explain “The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation was originally established as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. Article 2 of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of April 29, 1868 described the boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation” (“History”). So many celebrities, like Leonard DiCaprio, are supporting the Sioux Tribe because the Tribe are seen as climate heroes for defending their land. Research from NBC NEWS, “Dakota Access Pipeline: What’s Behind the Protests?” by Daniel A Medina, he states “Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe see the pipeline as both an environmental and cultural threat to their homeland. They say an oil spill would permanently contaminate the reservation 's water supply and that construction of the pipeline would destroy sacred sites where many of their ancestors are buried.

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

For many Native Americans like Chief Laduke say, “This is a place the creator gave us. This is the only place in the word that is ours.” Native Americans are the true lovers of nature and have an indefinite love for their land. Native Americans have announced that the Dakota Access Pipeline disrespects their culture and their lost loved ones. “The tribe has even sued Army Corps of Engineers for permitting a project that violated the National Historic Preservation Act(NHPA) and the National Environmental Preservation Act(NEPA)” says TIME. This event proves that the pipeline is unjustified and is legally against Native American rights when destroying sacred land. The “National Geographic Channel” also states, “Many tribes members are concerned about burial grounds being disturbed during construction because bulldozers have already removed topsoil on ground that members consider sacred.” The importance of sacred land to Native Americans is significant. Moreso, there is already damage being done before the actual construction. Therefore, it cannot be determined the damage that will be done during the installment of the pipeline. “Those echoes from the land have a power that draws people, allowing them to connect with their roots.” (CNN.com) The importance of land goes in hand with the importance to tradition. Areas that were once having tribal ceremonies in 1713 such as the sundance are currently still used

Dallas Based Energy Transfer Partners, the company responsible for the construction of the pipeline, claims they have met with tribal leaders “many” times over the past two years, but, “the Standing Rock Sioux claims that meaningful consultations with their leaders were never held and that their concerns have been ignored” (Dakota Access Pipeline 12). This is blatant discrimination of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and disregards any concerns they may have. Cooperation with the tribal leaders would allow the tribe to communicate any further concerns with construction. Instead they have ignored the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and decided to do what they think is best for themselves. An ideology that has always haunted the Native American people. The discrimination continues with the Pipeline being built on Sioux territory and further violates treaties. Sincere Kirabo, coordinator at the American Humanist Association, states, “[the pipeline] does cross through territory that belongs to the Sioux, which directly violates the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie that states the land is reserved for ‘undisturbed use and occupation’ of Native inhabitants” (26). The treaties once created by the government to create peace, is now being disregarded and not being upheld. This is denying their freedom of being equal before the law and further shows discrimination against the

It is no secret that our country has a need for oil and that need increases everyday. We will do anything to feed this habit, including allowing big oil companies to ruin land by running oil pipelines. According to a report done by the United States Department of Transportation, there are currently more than 2.4 million miles of pipeline already in operation within the United States. Of that, 72,563 miles carries crude oil to a various number of refineries across the land ("PHMSA"). According to Jeff Brady, a NPR correspondent, and Scott Horsley, a White House Correspondent, if the Keystone XL pipeline were fully completed, “The Keystone XL pipeline would be able to move up to 830,000 barrels a day of crude oil” (par. 6). TransCanada commissioned the Keystone pipeline in 2010, and since then their record on oil spill is less than perfect. According to Janna Palliser, Assistant Editor of Science Scope, during the first year of the Keystone pipeline being commissioned; it “Has had 14 spills since operations began. Of these spills, seven were 10 gallons or less, four were 100 gallons or less, two were between 400 and 500 gallons, and one was 21,000

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.