I went to Standing Rock because of many reasons. The one foremost in my mind was love: love for the earth and love for my children and grandchildren. The pipeline is a threat to all that live. That oil must stay in the ground to keep from overloading our atmosphere with CO2. It must not be transported through pipes to the refineries because the pipes leak as has been shown by the hundreds of leaks per year that spread millions of gallons of crude over the land.
The oil that they want to transport through the Native American land is called Bakken Crude and it is more flammable than other oils. It contains a high amount of organic compounds such as Toluene, Xylene, Benzene, and Hexane—all Volatile Organic Compounds. In addition to being highly flammable, these compounds are also highly toxic. When the pipelines break, these chemicals, along with the toxic crude, are spread across the land and in the waters where the break occurs. Eventually, the spills that happen on land are washed into watersheds where they are moved downstream and eventually into our dying oceans.
On the way to the ocean, the waters are drawn for drinking water for millions of people and millions more livestock. The water is also drawn for irrigation of crops that are fed both to livestock and to people. This means that anywhere at any time a person could drink water that was poisoned with these chemicals or eat food that contains these toxins. Meat eaters could get a double dose as the animals’ feed and water is contaminated intensifying the amount of toxic chemicals in their tissues. It will not matter whether you have a salad in Arizona or a burger in New Hampshire, the chemicals will be in the food you eat and the drinks you consume that are made with the tainted water.
This is not the only reason I went. Others will be discussed in another post. Please feel free to repost this anywhere you can.