Three of the seven tribes of the Great Sioux Nation—Standing Rock Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux and the Oglala Lakota—have joined in opposition to a pipeline being built across Lakota treaty land (but not land encompassed within the boundaries of today’s Lakota reservations). The 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline will carry light, sweet (low-sulfur) crude oil from the North Dakota shale fields to holding tanks in Patoka, Illinois. From there, the oil can be distributed to refineries in the Midwest or as far south as Nederland, Texas.
Dakota Access LLC, the subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners that is building the pipeline, made good on its vow to take protesters to court, filing a lawsuit Monday.
The Bismarck Tribune reported earlier this evening that construction has been halted while negotiations are undertaken.
At Common Dreams, Lauren MaCauley writes—Tribal Activists Defy Lawsuit, Vow Continued Resistance Against Dakota Pipeline:
Developers of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access (also known as the Bakken) Pipeline filed suit in federal court on Monday against members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose days-long civil disobedience campaign last week stalled construction of the 1,200-mile pipeline [that is designed to carry 570,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of Montana and North Dakota to Illinois].
Dakota Access LLC is "seeking restraining orders and unspecified monetary damages," the Associated Press reports. In court papers, the companies argues that the tribal activists "have created and will continue to create a risk of bodily injury and harm to Dakota Access employees and contractors, as well as to law enforcement personnel and other individuals at the construction site."
But the tribal members contend that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quietly approved the project last month without proper consultation or consent, despite the fact that it runs within a half-mile of the Standing Rock reservation.
"We don't want this black snake within our Treaty boundaries," said Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, who was named in the suit. "We need to stop this pipeline that threatens our water. We have said repeatedly we don't want it here. We want the Army Corps to honor the same rights and protections that were afforded to others, rights we were never afforded when it comes to our territories. We demand the pipeline be stopped and kept off our Treaty boundaries." [...]
Supporters have launched a White House petition and legal defense fund to help the resistance effort. Meanwhile, Archambault has specifically called on allies across the country to "call or write your Senators and Representative to stop this blindness and this greed. And, if nothing else... offer a prayer for sensibility and common sense on behalf of all the two-legged that walk as this is not just a Lakota/Dakota issue, this is a human issue."
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[Issued Monday, Archambault’s full statement is here.]
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At Daily Kos on this date in 2013—GOP senator howls about the 'environmental jihad':
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson may not be up for re-election until 2016, but he is not letting a League of Conservation Voters ad against him go without a bout of whining—and fundraising:
“The League of Conservation voters is not an organization with a balanced approach to a cleaner environment,” states the email from the Johnson campaign. “They are an extreme left group on an environmental jihad.”
The email, which also solicited donations from supporters, denounced what Johnson said was an “unholy alliance” between LCV and the Obama campaign that gives the green group “unlimited resources and campaign expertise.”
Ah, yes, the "extreme" "unholy" "jihad" of the League of Conservation Voters, with their ads filled with facts about severe weather's cost in human life and property damage, Johnson's big donations from oil and gas, his votes in favor of continuing pollution, and his general record of climate change denial. Those scoundrels. Send Ron Johnson money, so he can "respond to their attack ads with the truth." Is he implying that he actually doesn't deny the reality of climate change, or is that the truth of ... him being a giant climate change denier, but with an explanation of how he's proud of his position because capitalism?
On today's “encore presentation” Kagro in the Morning show, it’s the 8/18/15 show: Greg Dworkin rounds up 2016 news. Trump drives Gop policy. Will voters convince themselves he's electable? Extreme birtherism! KY gov trolls VA. John Lott poses as a woman. Robots are coming for us all.
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