Standing Rock Sioux Reservation: This is the permanent homeland for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe with 15,568 enrolled members that straddles North and South Dakota and grabbed the headlines throughout 2016, but what does this reservation have in common with the water crisis in Flint, Mi? The controversy stems from the construction of a nearly 1200 mile long pipeline to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil through four states from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to Illinois. The final part crosses the Missouri river and passes through the sacred burial grounds of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe just outside their reservation boundaries on disputed tribal lands. The tribe is concerned about damage to the burial grounds as well as contamination of their drinking water. In addition, contrary to US law they were never consulted about the project. In 2016, thousands demonstrated to stop construction of the pipeline and were initially successful only to have their hopes dashed when President Trump signed a memorandum allowing the construction to continue. Construction of the pipeline was completed in April 2017 (“Trump advances Keystone pipeline, DAPL with executive actions - CNNPolitics,” n.d.). Within the first six months of operations the pipeline has had five spills. Another case of environmental racism?
For More information on Standing Rock and Dakota Access Pipeline
- January, 2017 National Geographic: These Are the Defiant "Water Protectors" of Standing Rock
- January 2017 CNN: Trump advances Keystone pipeline, DAPL with executive actions
- January 2018 The Intercept: FIVE SPILLS, SIX MONTHS IN OPERATION: DAKOTA ACCESS TRACK RECORD HIGHLIGHTS UNAVOIDABLE REALITY — PIPELINES LEAK
- November 2016 CNN:Keystone Pipeline leaks 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota
- June 2017 Huffington Post: Thousands Fought Against The Dakota Access Pipeline. Now It’s Set To Flow Oil.
- Red WolfPope TEDX Seattle Video: Lessons of Courage from Standing Rock
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