WINTER 2015
support a large part of its economy. It
would be wiser to instead invest the
same money into research and engineering for alternative energy sources that
could replace oil altogether. Long-term
energy independence sounds ideal, but
near-complete dependency on oil will
lead to serious problems in the future.
While the benefits of the pipeline
are overstated, the Keystone XL Pipeline will likely cause a variety of real
problems. These issues include environmental, geopolitical, and political
disputes that could all result in tre-
FEATURE
little remaining Native American lands
is massive. Advocates for the Keystone XL Pipeline claim that a leak is
highly unlikely, yet the current Keystone line has had 14 “spills” in the
last four years, according to a US State
Department report. Many of the tribes
sustain themselves on the natural resources they acquire from and around
the Ogallala Aquifer, and the Keystone
XL Pipeline jeopardizes their survival.
The pipeline also threatens the cultural and historic preservation of many
Native American tribes. The pipeline
bud Sioux say the U.S. government has
not met its treaty obligations to ask the
tribe for approval of projects that cross
their territory. “The U.S. government
does not consult us,” he said, noting that
concerns brought to the Department of
Interior and to the Department of State
have been so far ignored. “We have a
sovereign nation. We have our own constitution and laws here. But they violated my people’s treaty rights once again.”
Native Americans have struggled to
maintain their autonomy in the United
States for centuries. They have been
While the benefits of the pipeline are overstated, the Keystone XL
Pipeline will likely cause a variety of real problems. These issues
include environmental, geopolitical, and political disputes that
could all result in tremendous conflicts.
mendous conflicts. In addition to these
controversies is the persistent question of Native American autonomy.
The Keystone XL Pipeline addition will pass through a variety of Native American lands, such as the Oceti
Sakowin territory in the Great Plains,
one of the few larger pieces of land
of which Native Americans still have
control. The pipeline brings with it
several complications to Native American land and people. First, the pipeline runs through the Ogallala Aquifer,
which provides drinking water for 2.2
million people including many Native
American tribes. According to Friends
of the Earth International, in regions of
Canada that are already being affected,
indigenous communities “living downstream from tailing ponds have seen
spikes in rates of rare cancers, renal
failure, lupus, and hyperthyroidism. In
the lakeside village of Fort Chipewyan,
for example, 100 of the town’s 1,200
residents have died from cancer.”
We are now on the verge of bringing these dangers to the United States.
The threat that a leak poses to the
requires digging massive paths to lay
the pipeline in, many of which could
destroy sacred sites. Native Americans have been relocated throughout
the United States time and time again.
Because of this, sacred lands such as
graveyards lie in many areas not necessarily within their current borders.
Although these physical conflicts
with Native American lands are damaging and appalling, the most serious
issue is that the nations and tribes are
not being consulted with in regards to
the Keystone XL Pipeline. Because
of this, many Native American leaders and tribe members protested the
pipeline’s construction in Washington DC. President Cyril Scott of the
Rosebud Sioux told the pipeline advocates “don’t come without expecting a fight, because we will give you
a fight. I am willing to spill my blood
on behalf of our people.” He goes onto
say that “authorizing Keystone XL
is an act of war against our people.”
Besides the environmental threat
of the pipeline, which Scott called an
“atrocity against all humans,” the Rose-
treated like cattle and herded away from
their traditional land. The land that they
have been promised through treaties is
being altered and destroyed. The Keystone XL Pipeline is causing the United
States to once again take advantage
of Native Americans. Lou Thompson,
TransCanada’s top liaison with Native
Americans, insists that even communicating with Native American tribes is not
a legal obligation. These skewed views
and tactics of negotiating with the Native American tribes threatens to reignite animosity with Native Americans.
The Keystone XL Pipeline will bring
with it monumental changes for the
United States. These changes are extraordinarily hard to predict, as it will
be so involved with economic, political,
environmental, and physical aspects
of the country. It is impossible for the
Keystone XL Pipeline advocates to say
that it will only bring with it benefits,
as the thought of the project has already
enraged tens of thousands. With the
benefits so uncertain, it is both immoral
and unwise for the United States to take
advantage of Native Americans again.
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