The Dakota Access Pipeline and Why the People in Missouri Care Since April 2016, American Indian protesters have been gathering outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota, to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The Dakota Access Pipeline will form part of the larger Bakken Pipeline project, running from the Bakken region in northwest North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois, where it will join with other extant pipelines to travel to the East Coast and Gulf carrying a projected 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The Dakota Access Pipeline was originally planned to cross the Missouri River just north of Bismarck but was relocated after communities in the proposed area expressed concerns about a leak contaminating the large city s drinking water supply. The new plan calls for the pipeline to cross the Missouri just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Water A Sacred Resource Native peoples have historically shared a common understanding that souls and spirits are tied to the natural world and that plants and animals depend on water. The water and all that water interacts with or touches, are viewed as relatives. We are all related and connected to each other and it is our responsibility to take care of each other. Water is a sacred gift. Water is life. Rising Tensions Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have expressed opposition to the pipeline route because it crosses ancestral sacred and burial lands that are located outside of the reservation. They note that historical and cultural reviews of the proposed pipeline site were inadequate and failed to take these concerns into account. The tribe has also expressed concern about environmental damage that could result if the pipeline were to break where it crosses under the Missouri River. Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the $3.7 billion pipeline, has continued with construction despite community opposition. Peaceful protests to the pipeline began in April 2016 by members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and have expanded to include protestors from other American Indian nations, environmental groups, and other concerned groups. Since August, there have been multiple attempts by law enforcement to clear protestors from their camps or from land where construction is ongoing. In late August, law enforcement attempted to remove Campus Box 1196 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 (314) 935.4510 www.gwbweb.wustl.edu/buder
protestors from a camp established on Energy Transfer Partners land. Witnesses reported that officers were wearing riot gear, deployed numerous armored vehicles, and used rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, and dogs. In October, a similar encounter took place between police and protestors, with police deploying beanbag guns, tear gas, mace, and noise devices. Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II issued a statement in October condemning the police actions: We have repeatedly seen a disproportionate response from law enforcement to water protectors nonviolent exercise of their constitutional rights... Today we have witnessed people praying in peace, yet attacked with pepper spray, rubber bullets, sound and concussion cannons. We urge state and federal government agencies to give this tense situation their immediate and close attention. On November 2, 2016, the federal government blocked the pipeline from expanding across the Missouri River pending a review of the project by the Army Corps of Engineers. In a statement, President Obama noted that the Corps was considering an alternative route for the pipeline. He commented, I think as a general rule, my view is that there is a way for us to accommodate sacred lands of Native Americans. On November 3, 2016, more than 500 clergy and lay people held an interfaith rally to support opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline in Cannonball, North Dakota. Organized by Rev. John Floberg, who supervises three of the Episcopal missions on the Standing Rock Reservation, the rally centered on a symbolic act. The attendees gathered around the sacred fire at one of the protest camps as tribal elders burned a replica of the Doctrine of Discovery, a historical doctrine used by European explorers to claim lands they discovered in the New World. Commenting on the symbolic meaning of the action, Floberg noted that the United States has never fulfilled the treaty obligations of any treaty that it has ever made with any tribal nation... I am calling upon this government to honor and fully fulfill its treaty obligations. On November 20, 2016, law enforcement turned water cannons on protesters despite freezing temperatures. Pepper spray and tear gas were also deployed. At least 17 protesters were taken to local hospitals and some were reportedly treated for hypothermia. Yet the injustice continues and tension escalates. Even at this writing, an inhumane incident reminiscent of the Civil Rights era has been reported. In freezing temperatures, protestors were subdued by water hoses. The irony of using water against the water protectors cannot be ignored. 2
National Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has issued a national plea for assistance recruiting lawyers with civil rights experience and monitors on the ground who can offer support to protesters. The NCAI has also requested that individuals contact these people: Attorney General Loretta Lynch to direct the Department of Justice to send observers to safeguard the protectors safety and their First Amendment rights ; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of Army to direct the Army Corps to immediately issue an order to stop work on additional construction within a mile between Highway 1806 and the Missouri River to help reduce tensions until the Corps finalizes its decision regarding the Lake Oahe easement ; and North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to remove the National Guard. It s an inappropriate use of the United States military to interfere with a peaceful exercise of the First Amendment. As reported in Yes! Magazine, the non-profit Food & Water Watch has suggested that consumers put pressure on the 38 banking institutions connected with the funding of the Bakken pipeline; specifically, 17 of these institutions are supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Food & Water Watch staff suggest that individuals contact these institutions and ask these banks to clarify whether funds they are providing are being used, in any amount, to pay for the heavily militarized response to the Standing Rock Sioux, including the attack dogs, sound-cannon trucks, heavily armed officers, and even a crop duster spraying undetermined chemicals over the camp. Local Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline On September 9, 2016, Alderwomen Christine Ingrassia and Megan-Ellyia Green introduced Resolution No. 106, which called for Expressing Solidarity with Indigenous Resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. They note that nearly all of St. Louis drinking water is sourced from the Missouri River and approximately half of Missourians receive their drinking water from this river as well. St. Louis is one of the almost 200 cities that have seen protests against the pipeline, as Jacob Bear points out that far-reaching effects of contaminated water: It endangers water to millions it endangers our water here in St. Louis. In October, a contingent of students from the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies attended the Standing Rock protest in North Dakota, showing their support and solidarity. 3
Buder students (Left to Right: Olivia Ferrara, Lacey Thompson, Avery Thompson, Becky Plumage, and Michaela Grillo) near one of the DAPL protector camps. (Photo Credit: Becky Plumage) One student commented, "We were in the camp the day the youth runners entered. It was a moving moment that became very powerful as my five year old watched with admiration, honoring our ancestor s sacrifices. In that moment, the issues of our past, present, and future collided in one point in time. She witnessed just how strong and resilient our people are." Her five year old daughter noted, "I am thankful that we went up to Standing Rock. I hope they listen when we say, Please don't build that pipeline. I am also thankful for all the people who were nice to us and shared their things with us when we were there." 4
A Buder student and her daughter look out over one of the camps for water protectors. (Photo Credit: Becky Plumage) On September 8, St. Louis residents, Buder Scholars, and members of Mobilize Missouri and the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club gathered along the Mississippi River at the Gateway Arch to express opposition to the pipeline. Additionally, a group from Big Muddy Adventures showcased their support by taking a canoe trip from the St. Louis water treatment facility to the St. Louis Arch Riverfront on this day. A march and rally in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline was held in St. Louis on November 15, 2016, in front of the St. Louis Federal Building which houses an office of the Army Corps of Engineers. Nearly 150 protesters gathered in front of the building, holding signs that stated: St. Louis Stands with Standing Rock. A boycott of Dakota Access Pipeline funder U.S. Bank was held on November 16, 2016. Protestors urged U.S. Bank customers to close their accounts immediately as an act of protest. On November 17, the Brown School of Social Work s American Indian Student Association hosted a Standing Rock event to educate the university about the #NODAPL movement. Additionally, the Buder Center staff is planning a collaborative event with various departments at Washington University in St. Louis to host an event in the near future. The proposed event will educate the public about this critical issue for indigenous rights as well as potential effects on the Missouri River. 5
Ways to Support #NODAPL Solutions to this imperative issue involve changing attitudes and actions so that people not only respect and preserve our natural resources including the water but honor American Indian treaties and protect scared tribal land. We urge you to join future rallies and review the links for ways to support the cause: http://buder.wustl.edu/ 6
References Blume, B. (2016, Nov 15). St. Louis Protesters Rally against Dakota Access Pipeline. CBS St. Louis. http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2016/11/15/st-louis-protestors-rally-againstdakota-access-pipeline/ Braine, T. (2016, Nov 2). Day of Confrontation; Indian Country Today; Issue 43. http://ictmn.lughstudio.com/eweekly/issue-43/ Hauser, C. (2016, Nov 2). Obama says alternate routes are being reviewed for Dakota Pipeline. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/us/president-obamasays-engineers-considering-alternate-route-for-dakota-pipeline.html Hawkins, D. (2016, Nov. 21). Police Defend Use of Water Cannons on Dakota Access protesters in freezing weather. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/21/police-citingongoing-riot-use-water-cannons-on-dakota-access-protesters-in-freezing-weather/ Healy, J. (2016, Aug 16). North Dakota Oil Pipeline Battle: Who s Fighting and Why. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/us/north-dakota-oil-pipelinebattle-whos-fighting-and-why.html?_r=0 Indian Country Today Staff. (2016, October 27). Large Police Action Underway at DAPL Site. Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/10/27/large-policeaction-underway-dapl-site-166234 McKibben, B. (2016, Oct 28). Why Dakota is the new Keystone. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/opinion/why-dakota-is-the-new-keystone.html?_r=0 Samson, A. (2016, Aug 12). The government quietly just approved this enormous oil pipeline. Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/08/newamerican-mega-pipeline-youve-never-heard-dakota-access-bakken Taliman, V. (2016, Sept 9). Moments After Judge Denies DAPL Injunction, Federal Agencies Intervene. Indian Country Today. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/09/dakota-access-constructionshut-down-near-standing-rock-army-corps-doj-doi-165743 Wilson, L. (2016, Nov 9). The Spirit Moved Them. Indian Country Today; Issue 44. http://ictmn.lughstudio.com/eweekly/issue-44/ 7
Wilson, L. (2016, Nov 4). Peaceful, Prayerful, Nonviolent Stand of Solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux. Indian Country Today. Yes! Magazine. (n.d.). How to Contact the 17 Banks Funding the Dakota Access Pipeline, Yes! Magazine http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/how-to-contact-the-17-banksfunding-the-dakota-access-pipeline-20160929 8