With a lot of disputes mainly boiling down to colonial land ownership and the right to decide on how land is used. Along with opposition from the Sioux tribe, environmentalists have also been quick to condemn the project. As well as placing emphasis on the need to move to renewable energies and fight against advancing climate change.
The latest decision from the Obama Administration has now halted completion of the pipeline project, until an environmental impact report is completed. This could result in alternative routes being discussed and greater public involvement in the planning. For Energy Transfer Partners to finish the project, government approval is needed for the construction to go under the Missouri river, as it is on federal land.
Yet, with only a matter of weeks before the newly elected Donald Trump taking office, who also happens to have investments related to Energy Transfer Partners, there is a certain sense of unknown in the air. Although there will be no direct effect on us here in New Zealand, allowing the project to go ahead in a large influential nation such as the US, sets a dangerous precedent for similar projects to get the go ahead around the world. To continue down this road is basically giving the middle finger to protecting the environment and acknowledging indigenous rights. If you would
like to help but cannot afford the plane ticket, you can sign petitions and donate to organisations such as Earthworks, to help fund investigations and legal disputes into environmental matters such as the Dakota pipeline.
Laura
Lethaby