In edition #1032 "Why they deny," we heard a lot about climate denial, profits over people and looking the other way when it comes to climate change. And here is perfect example of those destructive behaviors in action.
Just last week, the US Army Corps of Engineers approved all construction permits for a company called Energy Transfer to break ground on the Dakota Access Pipeline, also known as the Bakken {Bah-kin} pipeline - a $3.4 billion oil pipeline running through four states which would cross the Missouri River less than a mile from Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.
What’s worse is that the Corps approved these permits despite having several meetings with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe which expressed concerns that the pipeline would travel through ancestral lands and be a health risk when it leaks. Not if, but when - because from 2012 to 2013 alone, there were 300 oil pipeline breaks in the state of North Dakota.
Now the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing the US Army Corps of Engineers for what they see as the undermining of the the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. UPDATE as of 8/5/16: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe files for temporary blockage of construction of Dakota Access Pipeline
The children of the Sioux Nation have been at the forefront of this battle since the beginning with efforts backed by major climate organizations like 350.org. In May, a group of both native and non-native youth ran a 500-mile spiritual relay from Cannonball, North Dakota to the US Army Corps of Engineers office in Omaha, Nebraska to deliver a statement against the oil pipeline and a petition calling for a full Environmental Impact Assessment. And now, as the pipeline is underway, they are running for their lives again. This time from Nebraska to Washington, DC.
In her Change.org petition, 13-year-old Anna Lee Rain YellowHammer wrote...
“I can only guess that the oil industry keeps pushing for it because they don’t care about our health and safety. It’s like they think our lives are more expendable than others.”
Not only does this project impact all of us, but no frontline community should stand alone in the fight for climate justice. So here’s what you can do: Visit ReZpectOurWater.com to sign the petition to Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, read the letters from the youth of Standing Rock and get updates on the effort. Then share the petition on social media with the hashtag #ReZpectOurWater.
If you live anywhere near the Missouri River or its tributaries, call your legislators to oppose the pipeline and join the Bakken Pipeline Resistance made up of tribes, landowners and environmental groups protesting and bringing awareness to this issue.
So, if fighting for climate justice and calling out government hypocrisy on climate change is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about supporting the Standing Rock Reservation youth to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline via social media so that others in your network can get involved too.
As the Sioux youth petition says, “Native American people know that water is the first medicine not just for us, but for all human beings living on this earth.”
You know, I bet if they tried hard enough, even an engineer could figure that out.
@@USACEHQ Keep the #DakotaAccessPipeline AWAY from our #water! Watch & SIGN OUR PETITION https://t.co/YRppsC3JQU pic.twitter.com/ZluSttd1eB
— Standing Rock Kids (@ReZpectOurWater) May 3, 2016
TAKE ACTION
Sign the Standing Rock Youth "Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline" Change.org petition and share with #ReZpectOurWater
Read the letters and watch the videos from the Standing Rock Youth at ReZpectOurWater.com
Follow the Standing Rock Youth on Twitter @ReZpectOurWater
If you live on or near the Missouri River, get involved with the Bakken Pipeline Resistance
If you're in DC: Lafayette Square Rally for Standing Rock Youth - Saturday August 6th at 1pm
If you're in NYC: Union Square Rally for Standing Rock Youth - Sunday August 7th at 3pm
EDUCATE YOURSELF
UPDATE as of 8/5/16: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe files for temporary blockage of construction of Dakota Access Pipeline (KFYR TV - West Dakota)
Standing Rock Sioux Sues Army Corps Over Dakota Access Pipeline Approval (Indian Country)
Breaking: Dakota Access Pipeline Approved (Indian Country)
Running for Their Lives: 500-Mile You Spiritual Run Against Dakota Access Pipeline (Indian Country)
This Week Tonight with John Oliver: North Dakota (HBO's Last Week Tonight)
What they are up against:
Corps: We're not for or against Bakken pipeline (The Des Moines Register)
Op Ed by Terry O'Sullivan, President of Laborer's International Union of North America, "It's Time To Move Ahead with Dakota Access Pipeline" (The State-Journal Register)
Written by BOTL Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman.
Hear the activism segment in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1032: "Why they deny (Climate Denial)"
