Federal government halts work on part of pipeline project

[rooster59]

Federal government halts work on part of pipeline project

DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press
JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press

 

NEAR THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX RESERVATION, N.D. (AP) — The federal government stepped into the fight over the Dakota Access oil pipeline Friday, ordering work to stop on one segment of the project in North Dakota and asking the Texas-based company building it to "voluntarily pause" action on a wider span that an American Indian tribe says holds sacred artifacts.

 

The government's order came minutes after a judge rejected a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to halt construction of the $3.8 billion, four-state pipeline.

 

The tribe, whose cause has drawn thousands to join their protest, has challenged the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to grant permits for the pipeline at more than 200 water crossings. Tribal leaders allege that the project violates several federal laws and will harm water supplies. The tribe also says ancient sites have been disturbed during construction.

 

The tribe's chairman, Dave Archambault II, spoke at the state Capitol in front of several hundred people, some carrying signs that read "Respect Our Water" and "Water Is Sacred." He called the federal announcement "a beautiful start" and told reporters that the dispute is a long way from over.

 

"A public policy win is a lot stronger than a judicial win," he said. "Our message is heard."

 

A joint statement from the Army and the Departments of Justice and the Interior said construction bordering or under Lake Oahe would not go forward and asked the Texas-based pipeline builder, Energy Transfer Partners, to stop work 20 miles to the east and west of the lake while the government reconsiders "any of its previous decisions."

 

The statement also said the case "highlighted the need for a serious discussion" about nationwide reforms "with respect to considering tribes' views on these types of infrastructure projects."

 

Vicki Granado, a spokeswoman for the company, said it had no comment.

 

The president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council said he was disappointed with the government's decision to intervene and called it "flagrant overreach" that will result in more oil being moved by trucks and trains.

 

The 1,172-mile project will carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois.

 

In denying the tribe's request for a temporary injunction, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington said that the court "does not lightly countenance any depredation of lands that hold significance" to the tribe and that, given the federal government's history with the tribe, the court scrutinized the permitting process "with particular care."

 

Nonetheless, the judge wrote, the tribe "has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here."

 

Attorney Jan Hasselman with the environmental group Earthjustice, who filed the lawsuit on the tribe's behalf, said earlier this week any such decision would be challenged. "We will have to pursue our options with an appeal and hope that construction isn't completed while that (appeal) process is going forward," he said.

 

Tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard said Boasberg's ruling gave her "a great amount of grief. My heart is hurting, but we will continue to stand, and we will look for other legal recourses."

 

Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters, many from tribes around the country, gathered near the reservation that straddles the North and South Dakota border.

 

"There's never been a coming together of tribes like this," according to Judith LeBlanc, a member of the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma and director of the New York-based Native Organizers Alliance. People came from as far as New York and Alaska, some bringing their families and children, and hundreds of tribal flags dotted the camp, along with American flags flown upside-down in protest.

 

The judge's order was announced over a loudspeaker there. John Nelson of Portland, Oregon, came to the camp to support his grandson, Archambault. The 82-year-old says he was not surprised by the ruling, "but it still hurts."

 

State authorities announced this week that law enforcement officers from across the state were being mobilized at the protest site. They said some National Guard members will work security at traffic checkpoints and another 100 would be on standby. The Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association asked the Justice Department to send monitors to the site because it said racial profiling is occurring.

 

Nearly 40 people have been arrested since the protest began in April, including Archambault.

 

A week ago, protesters and construction workers were injured when, according to tribal officials, workers bulldozed sites on private land that the tribe says in court documents are "of great historic and cultural significance." Energy Transfer Partners denied the allegations.

 

The state's Private Investigation and Security Board received complaints about the use of dogs and will look into whether the private security teams at the site are properly registered and licensed, board attorney Monte Rogneby said Friday, adding that he would not name the firms.

 

On Thursday, North Dakota's archaeologist said a piece of private land that was not previously surveyed by the state would be surveyed for artifacts next week.

 

The company plans to complete the pipeline this year, and said in court papers that stopping the project would cost $1.4 billion the first year, mostly due to lost revenue in hauling crude.

 

A status conference in the tribe's lawsuit is scheduled for Sept. 16.

 

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-10

 

[ClutchClark]

The only thing missing at that gathering is a "white buffalo". 

 

Don't native americans have jobs? How can they group up to that extent for so many months? 

 

This is ridiculous for the Feds to halt this project since there would have been a thorough Environmental Impact Study completed prior to any approval for a pipeline.

 

America has an issue of conceding to any and every minority group who gets their panties twisted and decides to hold a rally. Its no different from paying off a kidnapper--every time a ransom is paid it only encourages more kidnappings. That is what we are now living in America--minorities are holding the country hostage in these court actions.

Edited September 9, 2016 by ClutchClark

[ExpatOilWorker]

Bring in General Custer.

[williamgeorgeallen]

cut all petrol sales to native americans until the pipeline is finished. pretty sure they will help support building it then. we have the same issues with the maoris in nz despite there being no actual maori left.  (they are all 25% or less maori blood) weak govt policies just to get some extra votes.

Edited September 10, 2016 by williamgeorgeallen

[nickcar]

I must admit that i lack much knowledge about these subjects, but i ask, is it true that there have been several oil spills from these pipelines in the past and that the spills were very damaging to the ecology?  And if it is true, were there  thorough environmental impact studies completed beforehand?  And if that is also true why would you support construction of more pipelines?  Are most Americans in favour of the greed of the big corporations to their own detriment and the countries detriment? 

 

 And as for New Zealand,  if the government attempts to abide by treaties made many years ago,  in stark  contrast  to the apparent American practice,  why would one object?  Acting in favour of the  minority against the wishes of the majority  is more likely to lose votes. 

[Scott]

The Native American Indian Tribes have a special treaty based relationship with the US government.   Essentially, they are similar to an independent nation.  A treaty is only made with a foreign government.   As such, they are not considered to be a part of the state in which the land is situated.  

 

I do not know all the reasoning behind either the placement of the pipeline or the opposition, but it's always a wise idea to get the locals and owners of the land behind any project.  

[helpisgood]

I am not familiar with the specific legal arguments in this case, but I can understand why the Native Americans are so sensitive about it.  There's a long history of the US govt. and American business interests breaching their agreements with various tribes.  One tribe that was very affected by such wrongful actions were the Sioux (I understand that they are also known as the Lakota and maybe other names as well).

 

From one article:

 

"The Great Sioux Reservation, formed in the eighteen-sixties, shrunk again and again—in 1980, a federal court said, of the whole sad story, 'a more ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealings will never, in all probability, be found in our history.'"

 

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/a-pipeline-fight-and-americas-dark-past

 

Below is a Wikipedia article of an interesting case, which I believe is related to the above quote.  The US Supreme Court ruled that the Sioux deserved just compensation for the taking of their land and awarded the tribe a large sum.  Nevertheless:

 

"The Sioux have declined to accept the money,[32] because acceptance would legally terminate Sioux demands for return of the Black Hills. The money remains in a Bureau of Indian Affairs account accruing compound interest. As of 24 August 2011 the Sioux interest on their money has compounded to over 1 billion dollars.[33]"

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Sioux_Nation_of_Indians

 

So, if the Native Americans, especially the Sioux, see this as yet another encroachment on their lands, well then I think they deserve to be heard very carefully.

 

[maoro2013]

7 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

The only thing missing at that gathering is a "white buffalo". 

 

Don't native americans have jobs? How can they group up to that extent for so many months? 

 

This is ridiculous for the Feds to halt this project since there would have been a thorough Environmental Impact Study completed prior to any approval for a pipeline.

 

America has an issue of conceding to any and every minority group who gets their panties twisted and decides to hold a rally. Its no different from paying off a kidnapper--every time a ransom is paid it only encourages more kidnappings. That is what we are now living in America--minorities are holding the country hostage in these court actions.

Not just in America

[wwest5829]

8 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

The only thing missing at that gathering is a "white buffalo". 

 

Don't native americans have jobs? How can they group up to that extent for so many months? 

 

This is ridiculous for the Feds to halt this project since there would have been a thorough Environmental Impact Study completed prior to any approval for a pipeline.

 

America has an issue of conceding to any and every minority group who gets their panties twisted and decides to hold a rally. Its no different from paying off a kidnapper--every time a ransom is paid it only encourages more kidnappings. That is what we are now living in America--minorities are holding the country hostage in these court actions.

 

Hmm, don't protests always start by minorities interested is a particular cause? So, would you ban all citizen led protests? Damn that Boston Tea Party anyhow! For my money, I am wishing for a lot more citizen protests taking to the streets to demand critical changes in the direction the USA has been taking. 

[Scott]

This protest is a little different than a minority protest.   It has to do with people who have a significant amount to lose, and probably very little to gain.  

 

A great deal of the oil produced in North Dakota comes from the Bakken Oil Field which includes a large area of the Fort Berthold Reservation, of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes).   I don't believe the Standing Rock Sioux have any significant oil at this point in time.   The Fort Berthold Reservation was flooded for the Garrison Dam and a huge amount of Reservation land went under water for Lake Sakakawea.   The Standing Rock Reservation also lost a significant amount of land with the building of a second dam on the Missouri River, which is Lake Oahe.   A spill in the Missouri River would have major consequences and any spill in Lake Oahe would be catastrophic.  

 

That oil pretty much has to go across the Missouri at some point and hopefully in an environmentally safe manner.  

 

I do have friends who live on the Standing Rock reservation, but I haven't had any contact with them as to the exact nature of the conflict.   I do know that historically, they have been very distrustful of the gov't.   There has been a fair amount of luck if the people are engaged in the decision making process.    I have a feeling this did not happen.    Among the Sioux there is a hardcore traditional element that would NEVER be in favor of anything like this.  They generally do not hold a large amount of political sway.

 

Someone has politically made a big mess of this in that it has brought many tribes together on the issue.   The various tribes do not generally get along and it takes a very strong rallying point to bring them together.  

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, nickcar said:

Acting in favour of the  minority against the wishes of the majority  is more likely to lose votes. 

_{In a POTUS election year, acting in favor of the minority against the wishes of a corporation is more likely to win votes.}

[ClutchClark]

Indians need to stop usingpetroleum products if they are going to walk their talk.

 

Democrats are a funny bunch...they think everything in the world is free. Its the result of too many gov't handouts over the years. Sadly, all those free peograms, and no minority group receives more than native americans, need to be financed by private business and development. 

 

This pipeline was not even going to cross native reservation...it is routed through private properties. 

 

That is where these protests are confrontations are taking place--on private property--the protesters are trespassing. They are breaking the law.

 

 

[sgtsabai]

And just who do you think that land belonged to before it was forcefully taken from them, broken treaty after broken treaty. Private property, yea with a little caveat. Do a little research, that land was originally part of the res before the res was reduced. Custer wore arrow shirts, and damn well deserved them. Perhaps you should visit some of the reservations in South and North Dakota, a bastardization of the word Lakota, and then come back and tell us how well off the recipients of all this free crap are. In fact show me all the free crap. I've been there, lived there, fought there, yea tell me all about it. Hoka Hey wasichu.

[ClutchClark]

27 minutes ago, sgtsabai said:

And just who do you think that land belonged to before it was forcefully taken from them, broken treaty after broken treaty. Private property, yea with a little caveat. Do a little research, that land was originally part of the res before the res was reduced. Custer wore arrow shirts, and damn well deserved them. Perhaps you should visit some of the reservations in South and North Dakota, a bastardization of the word Lakota, and then come back and tell us how well off the recipients of all this free crap are. In fact show me all the free crap. I've been there, lived there, fought there, yea tell me all about it. Hoka Hey wasichu.

 

Respectfully, it belonged to whichever warring tribe happened to have won the latest battle and claimed it as their territory. 

My understanding of Native American history is that there were numerous tribes and it was not always peaceful co-existance...they fought battles and the boundaries of their territories was constantly changing based on which war party was victorious.

 

If that is correct, then the white man played by those same rules but was so vastly superior in battle that they took the territories and held them. It was a system that Native Americans lived by long before the white man and so it is sour grapes to complain about it now. 

 

This is the way the world worked at that time and I had nothing to do with it. None of us alive today did but this is what we are born into....private property rights exist today to the exclusion of all others...red, white, brown, etc..

 

BTW, I have driven through that area and camped. Its a poverty stricken area and almost everyone lives on welfare. It is time for the native american to get a new paradigm because their current one only perpetuates this suffering. The world has changed. I don't much care for the modern world but thats the one I live in so I deal with it. I adapt. 

[ClutchClark]

10 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

 

Hmm, don't protests always start by minorities interested is a particular cause? So, would you ban all citizen led protests? Damn that Boston Tea Party anyhow! For my money, I am wishing for a lot more citizen protests taking to the streets to demand critical changes in the direction the USA has been taking. 

 

The US has been doing quite well for a couple centuries. I suggest Americans stop thinking about themselves and their own special interests and start thinking as Americans again. 

 

The Boston Tea Party was based on "Taxation without Representation". Please take a look around you...today everyone has representation regardless how much they pay in taxes.

[ClutchClark]

9 hours ago, Scott said:

This protest is a little different than a minority protest.   It has to do with people who have a significant amount to lose, and probably very little to gain.  

 

A great deal of the oil produced in North Dakota comes from the Bakken Oil Field which includes a large area of the Fort Berthold Reservation, of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes).   I don't believe the Standing Rock Sioux have any significant oil at this point in time.   The Fort Berthold Reservation was flooded for the Garrison Dam and a huge amount of Reservation land went under water for Lake Sakakawea.   The Standing Rock Reservation also lost a significant amount of land with the building of a second dam on the Missouri River, which is Lake Oahe.   A spill in the Missouri River would have major consequences and any spill in Lake Oahe would be catastrophic.  

 

That oil pretty much has to go across the Missouri at some point and hopefully in an environmentally safe manner.  

 

I do have friends who live on the Standing Rock reservation, but I haven't had any contact with them as to the exact nature of the conflict.   I do know that historically, they have been very distrustful of the gov't.   There has been a fair amount of luck if the people are engaged in the decision making process.    I have a feeling this did not happen.    Among the Sioux there is a hardcore traditional element that would NEVER be in favor of anything like this.  They generally do not hold a large amount of political sway.

 

Someone has politically made a big mess of this in that it has brought many tribes together on the issue.   The various tribes do not generally get along and it takes a very strong rallying point to bring them together.  

 

Scott,

I am assuming I can respond to a post by a moderator if it does not have to do with moderation.

 

Lake Oahe is 231 miles long.

It is a reasonable assumption that there are already pipelines crossing this body of water and the Missouri River. I don't know of any spills. 

 

The oil from the Bakken is already being transported by rail tankers and these railroads go across the same waterways as the pipeline would AND railcars are known to derail. There is far greater risk of oil spill and contamination of waterways by continuing the use of rail transport. 

 

Blocking this oil transmission line does nothing to stop oil extraction from the Bakken Field...it only increases the risk of environmental disaster substantially.

[ClutchClark]

Here is a map of existing hazardous liquid and gas pipelines in the US today according to the US Dept of Transportation.

 

As you can hopefully surmise, these pipelines cross 1,000's of waterways, including the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. 

That is how our modern world works. We rely on industry and mining to fuel our great nation. Sorry folks but development and exploitation are necessary for humans to exist. 

 

When these native americans get rid of their modern conveniences and stop relying on petroleum products then they can argue Not-In-My-Backyard...but until that time, they have to live by the same rules as the rest of us CONSUMERS.

[ClutchClark]

Right now as you read this, oil is being produced in the Bakken Field and is being transported by rail in tankers. 
At this very moment this is occurring.

 

Building this pipeline will eliminate all this oil which is currently placing our waterways at risk--below is a great article  from NBC so hopefully will not be accused of using right wing media) that describes 2013 was the record for most rail tanker spills...well, until 2014 when we set new records:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/oil-train-spills-hit-record-level-2014-n293186

 

American oil trains spilled crude oil more often in 2014 than in any year since the federal government began collecting data on such incidents in 1975, an NBC News analysis shows.

 

http://insideenergy.org/2014/06/16/30000-gallons-of-crude-by-rail-every-77-seconds/

And just how much oil is that you ask:

30,000 Gallons Of Crude-By-Rail Every 77 Seconds

 

Last week, Inside Energy reported that about 408,000 carloads and 39 million tons of crude oil originated on United States railroads in 2013. It's a lot of oil, and it's raising a lot of questions about safety. 

 

Edited September 11, 2016 by ClutchClark

[helpisgood]

7 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Respectfully, it belonged to whichever warring tribe happened to have won the latest battle and claimed it as their territory. 

My understanding of Native American history is that there were numerous tribes and it was not always peaceful co-existance...they fought battles and the boundaries of their territories was constantly changing based on which war party was victorious.

 

If that is correct, then the white man played by those same rules but was so vastly superior in battle that they took the territories and held them. It was a system that Native Americans lived by long before the white man and so it is sour grapes to complain about it now. 

 

This is the way the world worked at that time and I had nothing to do with it. None of us alive today did but this is what we are born into....private property rights exist today to the exclusion of all others...red, white, brown, etc..

 

BTW, I have driven through that area and camped. Its a poverty stricken area and almost everyone lives on welfare. It is time for the native american to get a new paradigm because their current one only perpetuates this suffering. The world has changed. I don't much care for the modern world but thats the one I live in so I deal with it. I adapt. 

 

No sir, as has been stated above, the white man broke treaties.  This is not about a fair turf war.  The US govt. gave their word and they broke it.  Doesn't one's word mean anything?

 

As Court of Claims Judge Fred Nichols wrote in 1975 regarding the US govt's dealings with the Sioux: "'a more ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealings will never, in all probability, be found in our history.'"

 

Also, see my post above (no.7). 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scott]

I don't wish to get into an argument about this is very much depth, because I am simply not knowledgeable of the particulars and specifics about this situation.   Moving oil by rail over the Missouri river is, IMO, quite a bit safer than by a pipeline, simply because the tracks are limited and any derailment would involved several rail cars.   A pipeline spill can spill really huge amounts of oil.   So both have risks, but a pipeline is much riskier. 

 

There is an oil refinery in Mandan, ND, located between the Fort Berthold Reservation and the Standing Rock reservation.   I assume some of it crosses the Missouri river by train, but most of it is produced on the western side of the river, so it is already on the same side of the river.   I think the Mandan refinery is rather small and would certainly not be capable of refining the vast amounds of oil now being prodeuced.  

 

When tradition meets progress, in the end progress usually wins and the Native Indians have lost most of these battles.   In this case, there is widespread involvement by other groups.  

 

The gov't and the private company might want to look at all the alternative routes before continuing to negotiate with the tribe, but negotiations are going to be harder now that battle lines are drawn.   And the Sioux know a little about battle  In the 1970's there was the second battle of Wounded Knee.  

 

 

 

[craigt3365]

8 hours ago, sgtsabai said:

And just who do you think that land belonged to before it was forcefully taken from them, broken treaty after broken treaty. Private property, yea with a little caveat. Do a little research, that land was originally part of the res before the res was reduced. Custer wore arrow shirts, and damn well deserved them. Perhaps you should visit some of the reservations in South and North Dakota, a bastardization of the word Lakota, and then come back and tell us how well off the recipients of all this free crap are. In fact show me all the free crap. I've been there, lived there, fought there, yea tell me all about it. Hoka Hey wasichu.

I'm native American Indian.  My father was born on a res, my brother works on one.  Many natives are very well off, actually, extremely well off.  Many, just don't care and don't do anything to improve themselves.  I've been to many, many, many reservations.  The US has done a lot for the native American indians.  My brother's masters degree is an excellent example.  Paid for by a grant from an unrelated Indian tribe.

[rosst]

On 10/09/2016 at 7:49 AM, ClutchClark said:

The only thing missing at that gathering is a "white buffalo". 

 

Don't native americans have jobs? How can they group up to that extent for so many months? 

 

This is ridiculous for the Feds to halt this project since there would have been a thorough Environmental Impact Study completed prior to any approval for a pipeline.

 

America has an issue of conceding to any and every minority group who gets their panties twisted and decides to hold a rally. Its no different from paying off a kidnapper--every time a ransom is paid it only encourages more kidnappings. That is what we are now living in America--minorities are holding the country hostage in these court actions.

Yes, I concur, we in Australia are also in a similar situation with our indiginous population.  There are hundreds of thousands of them unemployed and a whole industry ensuring uncle Freds house cannot be disturbed.  We have wonderful highly qualified people investigating and reporting and decisions made but hold the bus, we want more money.

Sickening actually 

[ClutchClark]

9 hours ago, helpisgood said:

 

No sir, as has been stated above, the white man broke treaties.  This is not about a fair turf war.  The US govt. gave their word and they broke it.  Doesn't one's word mean anything?

 

As Court of Claims Judge Fred Nichols wrote in 1975 regarding the US govt's dealings with the Sioux: "'a more ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealings will never, in all probability, be found in our history.'"

 

Also, see my post above (no.7). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I break my word?

 

The fact is that was several generations ago.

 

It is time to move on. 

 

Besides, the treaties were signed as option #1.

 

Option #2 was for the Europeans to continue to advance using warfare and continue killing the remaining native groups. Seriously, what are you thinking with this constant crying about a broken treaty of 100+ years ago? 

 

There was no option #3 where the Natives got to keep their land. 

 

The Europeans were an advancing society and practiced warfare just like the Native Inhabitants that were here before them...its just that the new invaders were incredibly more advanced militarily and had greater numbers.

 

Its time for the Natives to get a new Paradigm because their current one is a broken record and its keeping Natives from adapting and progressing and entering society.

 

Quit with the victim mentality--it was many generations ago.

[Scott]

4 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Did I break my word?

 

The fact is that was several generations ago.

 

It is time to move on. 

 

Besides, the treaties were signed as option #1.

 

Option #2 was for the Europeans to continue to advance using warfare and continue killing the remaining native groups. Seriously, what are you thinking with this constant crying about a broken treaty of 100+ years ago? 

 

There was no option #3 where the Natives got to keep their land. 

 

The Europeans were an advancing society and practiced warfare just like the Native Inhabitants that were here before them...its just that the new invaders were incredibly more advanced militarily and had greater numbers.

 

Its time for the Natives to get a new Paradigm because their current one is a broken record and its keeping Natives from adapting and progressing and entering society.

 

Quit with the victim mentality--it was many generations ago.

This is not necessarily a victim mentality.   It was not just many generations ago, it continued to exist well into the 1960's when the federal gov't took the unprecedented move of terminating tribes.   This meant removing reservations as a separate entity, removing trust status for land and other rights guaranteed for several generations.  There are smaller and less well known instances that were occurring as late as the 80's.  So, yes, there is a level of mistrust but it is based on  direct actions. 

 

But that said, this is starting to get off-topic.   It's basically about a pipeline, it's possible damages and the rights of a geopolitical entity to have input into it.  

[ClutchClark]

33 minutes ago, Scott said:

This is not necessarily a victim mentality.   It was not just many generations ago, it continued to exist well into the 1960's when the federal gov't took the unprecedented move of terminating tribes.   This meant removing reservations as a separate entity, removing trust status for land and other rights guaranteed for several generations.  There are smaller and less well known instances that were occurring as late as the 80's.  So, yes, there is a level of mistrust but it is based on  direct actions. 

 

But that said, this is starting to get off-topic.   It's basically about a pipeline, it's possible damages and the rights of a geopolitical entity to have input into it.  

 

But this is

 

 

Actually this is about a pipeline which was approved by the Army CoE after passing rigorous Environmental Impact Studies and the ROW is on Private Property (not on Native Land) but every so often this disenfranchised group of Americans, the Indian, needs to rally about one thing or another so they can re-hash their broken treaties cry. 

 

Ironically, many native tribes have contracted with the federal gov't to store spent radioactive fuel cells on their lands so this NIMBY "we place the environment above all else as part of our heritage" really does not cut the mustard. 

 

There are 100's of thousands of miles of pipelines flowing throughout the US every second of the day and they move oil products safely. They move it far more safely than rail which is the current system. 

 

If people no linger want oil pipelines then so be it--quit participating in an oil-dependent modern economy. Until then, we need to continue to use pipelines and mitigate the risk of spills. We are a great Industrial nation and this is what we do. We build things and protect our environment at the same time. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive except in the heads of liberals who love to protest against big oil and evil corporations and for the downtrodden minorities. Wake up--this is not the 60's--its time to find a new paradigm. Those issues have been resolved. 

Edited September 11, 2016 by ClutchClark

[ClutchClark]

<hidden post removed>

 

As I understand it the people attacked by dogs had crossed a fenceline and were in trespass on private property. 

 

The parent of the child saw the security guards and dogs and continued to proceed forward with a child in tow. This person should be arrested for trespass and for child endangerment.

 

 

[ClutchClark]

SgtSabai,

I followed your request and researched any lands taken from the Standing Rock Sioux. I thought it best to go directly to their own website:

 

http://standingrock.org/environmental-profile/

 

All I can find in the last 150 years is that lands were used to develop Lake Oahe and which is noted under the section, Environmental Summary--"Effect of Pick-Sloan Act .

 

Is this what you are refering to? If not then you really need to do your supporting legwork to support your own statements if you expect credibility. 

[derator01]

Stick to the topic and show respect to fellow members.  The next off topic post will result in a suspension.

[sgtsabai]

It seems a number of ON Topic posts have just vanished into thin air, must be all the rain. It's been playing hell with my SKYPE and calls to Lao. Yea, that's it, it's just the rain.

 

I think it is quite clear that the res was established long before the present boundaries were forced upon the Indians, although Indians never considered themselves as "owners" but protectors and part of our mother earth. Ahem, now exactly how did the government honor the Sioux Treaty of 1868? Oh, I remember with an invasion and the dishonorable Custer wearing arrow shirts at the Battle of the Greasy Grass.   https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/sioux-treaty/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_River_Indian_Reservation

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Rock_Indian_Reservation

 

http://standingrock.org/history/

 

All being said, this temporary halt is just another end around by the federal government and it's real owners, corporations and plutocrats, as was posted but washed away by the rain.

[ClutchClark]

Please delete

 

Edited September 12, 2016 by ClutchClark