South Dakota Oil Pipeline Research Paper

One of the most notable points of concern regarding the Dakota pipeline occurred this past year on October 27th, when authorities forcibly and violently removed Standing Rock water protectors with the use of tasers, pepper spray, sound cannons, concussion grenades and rubber bullets. This is one of the most recent, horrifying incidents occurring to Native peoples, reminding them of the reality of white supremacy and the extent to which racism still exists in the United States. The lack of media coverage of this event goes even further to show the scale that which Native problems are not a concern to the press and American people.

Since 2010, there have been “more than 3,000 incidents of leaks and ruptures at oil and gas pipelines” according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Worland). The Dakota Access Pipeline has sparked controversy between the U.S. Army of Engineers and Native Americans. With threats of damaging their water supply, cultural land, and impeding a treaty made in 1851, had Native Americans protesting by resisting removal. The threatening impact on Native Americans deemed unconsidered and unheard of by government when they originally planned to build the pipeline through the area. And despite a severe winter storm bringing freezing conditions, protesting Natives remained (Maher and Connors). But why did it have to come to desperate measures that endanger one’s personal safety, just to gain the attention of the government? Native American sovereignty has been repeatedly impeded on, forcing them to take matters into their own hands. Concerning the decision prior to construction, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe claims the federal agency did not appropriately consult them prior to construction (Merrit). Recently, Army Corps have halted the passage of the Dakota Access Pipeline due to their outcry. But if the government had just considered the vote of Native Americans in the first place, the decision could have satisfied everyone who at least got a say

With recent event the Obama’s Administration has halted the further construction of the North Dakota Access pipeline. This event have sparked the nation into an uprise in protests and public speaking against North Dakota Access. Now thrusted out onto a global stage, the struggle on both sides intensifies either is not going to stand down. The people of Standing Rock Indian Reservation are protesting against North Dakota Access to continue construction of the “North Dakota Access Pipeline”. Additionally the Army Corps of Engineers has denied the permit that allows construction underneath the Mississippi and Missouri River. These events have now escalated to national attention. It is not in the public safety or well being to have further construction or completion of the North Dakota Access Pipeline should it have negative environmental impacts and be harmful to the American people. ("Federal Government Halts Construction Of Part Of North Dakota Pipeline.")

Any decision about whether to revoke the pipeline’s permits in the area near the Standing Rock Sioux tribe will likely fall to the next President. Our new elected President Donald Trump has not claimed his side on the issue. However, Energy Transfer Partners company believes Trump will agree because he had business connections with the company and he agrees that the oil pipeline will bring to North Dakota. At the same time, environmental activists, “ a rejection of the Dakota Access pipeline would boost the “keep it in the ground” movement that calls for a halt to all new oil and natural gas infrastructure projects, which have ballooned in recent decades as new technologies let companies access reserves” (Worland, 2016). In other words, people are using this issue to address other issues America has been dealing with for decades such as more companies are constructing oil pipelines near in communities. People of America are complaining that the companies are taking advantage of their land, so they can create more money for themselves and not their community. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe wants others to know that companies are going too far to make more money and should think more about how it will affect the

“The developed of the pipeline estimate 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs” (Yan). People fail to realize that these jobs are only temporary. Work like this will not last forever. The impact of losing a job is detrimental. Once the pipeline is completed, all those who were employed will lose their jobs and be put back into unemployment. This potentially negatively affects American home life. These temporary jobs are not sufficient for the American economy. While these people are working, they tend to have more money to buy things. When they lose their job, they are no longer be able to afford it. This causes prices to rise due to a number of people buying stuff, but once those people lose their jobs, they will not have enough money and the economy plummets. This is also known as inflation, which is deleterious to our economy. “‘We're not opposed to energy independence. We're not opposed to economic development,’ Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Archambault II said. ‘The problem we have -- and this is a long history of problems that evolved over time -- is where the federal government or corporations take advantage of indigenous lands and indigenous rights.’” (Yan). The government ignores the pleas of protesters and proceed to take land for economic achievement. Although, the Dakota Access Pipeline does not benefit the country in any

All the dakota access pipeline is doing is taking up sacred land of the Natives,how would you feel if someone graffitied the white house it's practically the same as building this pipeline on their land. The police have to use plastic bullets to stop this protest from going on. But all they continue to do is throw smoke bombs into the protesters crowd. There has been more than 15 injuries and almost one death. We should stop this riot and stop building this pipeline.

But, according to Yan (2016) the pipeline can have either a great economic benefit for the United States or it can cause an environmental disaster. The pipeline also is going to run through sacred Native American land and water source (Jensen 2016). This brings in protestors that range from humanist, Native Americans, environmentalist, state residents and even Hollywood celebrities (Yan 2016). According to Jensen (2016), these peaceful protestors are being treated harshly by law enforcement, which makes the pipeline even more controversial. The police are trying to run out the protestors by “using freezing water and concussion grenades” during winter conditions to get them to leave Cannon Ball, ND (Jensen 2016). Law enforcement doesn’t want the area to “swell” with protestors again when it comes spring (Reuters 2017). These protestors just want to be heard, which they were in Obama’s administration, but Trump’s administration wants to continue construction with or without the support of the community. This could be due to Trump’s investment and profit in the pipeline (Mufson 2016). On the another hand, the pipeline can help the economy by making the United States more independent on oil and reducing the use of trains. In some cases, trains that are carrying oil cargo has been derailed and exploding. This would also bring down cost for shipments with

To explain, local water sources will be majorly affected due to the Dakota Access Pipeline. “The Standing Rock Sioux and supporters say the $3.8 billion oil pipeline disrupts sacred burial grounds and threatens the tribes main source of drinking water.” (Source 2) The DAPL will harm multiple Native American water sources, which is why it should be built on another route to protect the Native Americans. Putting $3.8 billion into a project that may later on, need more money to support the funding of the Native Americans water supply is ridiculous. The most reasonable option is to reroute the pipeline and save the water source of the native tribes. “The tribes say the pipeline would threaten their cultural sites and water supply.” (Source 3) Many

With the rise in violence, the United States government must dispute equally amongst both sides. The land, in which the pipeline will be built, is not owned by the Sioux; it is owned by the federal government. The pipeline will pass through the land, but will not pass through the Sioux reservation. The pipeline is a resource that the U.S. is dependent on. Oil is a main contributor to the U.S. economy and without it, there would be a drastic change in the economy. A simple soloution could be to redirect the pipeline to where it does not cross the Sioux's holy land, but crosses through the Missouri River - containing already more than seven other pipelines - and must be secured so the water is not polluted by leakage in the pipe. This solution

In my artwork, I focused on the problem of the Dakota Access Pipeline. While it may not be as popular as the election, or things such as that, this issue need to be resolved. In North Dakota, there was a planned pipeline that would go underground to supply oil to markets that sell it. But this pipeline was originally going to be stored near Missouri river, which is the only water source to a local Native American tribe called the Standing Rock Sioux. There could be a possible chance that the pipe could break, polluting the water and making it unhealthy. So, in response to that, many of the Native American tribes are protesting against the pipeline. For example, PBS learning media states, "Numerous Native American tribes, ranchers, politicians

Currently, in the United States, native populations are fighting desperately for their right to exist. The Dakota Access Pipeline is a major example of this. Proposed in 2014 and approved of in 2016, the Dakota Access Pipeline is a pipeline made to transfer light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to production areas in Illinois. Though sounding good economically, not only would the pipeline run under part of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, but it would also run under their primary water source, the Missouri river. Whilst Energy Transfusion (the company building the pipeline) has a vast record of spillage and whilst an oil spill would demolish their water and food source, it’s not only their lives at danger. “They literally bulldozed the ancestors right out of the ground, along with destroying tipi rings and cairns,”(McCauley). Standing Rock’s culture has also been threatened. Without any warning, the Dakota Access Pipeline’s workers bulldozed straight through a sacred burial site, digging up their bones without a care in the world. The government didn’t even comment on it. If someone had bulldozed through a historical cemetery would the government care then? The willingness to let a company bulldoze straight through their culture, to dig up their history and discard it as a lesser issue than industry is a huge blow. Are we not supposed to be the land of understanding? The cultural melting pot of

The Standing Rock Sioux Pipeline Protest has been happening over the course of the past several months, along with numerous legal battles and arrests. Multiple tribes have come in aId for what they consider “peaceful protests and demonstrations” on their land in a native american reservation. The protestors are against putting a new oil pipeline into the drinking water of thousands of people.

Native Americans are being disrespected, harmed, and their homeland is being taken from them. Am I talking about events taken place centuries ago? No, because these unfortunate circumstances yet again are occurring right here, now, in the present. This horrid affair has a name: The Dakota Access Pipeline. This Pipeline is an oil transporting pipeline, which is funded by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, who have devised a plan for the pipeline to run through the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. However, unfortunately, this pipeline will run straight through the reservation of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, expressing their distress for the pipeline have said, that the pipeline will be “Destroying our burial sites, prayer sites, and culturally significant artifacts,” Arguments for the pipeline however have tried to counter this claim, trying to emphasize that “The pipeline wouldn 't just be an economic boon, it would also significantly decrease U.S. reliance on foreign oil”, and that the pipeline is estimated to produce “374.3 million gallons of gasoline per day.”, which could help the sinking oil economy. (Yan, 2016) However, despite the economical growth it could achieve, the Dakota Access Pipeline could have damaging environmental effects on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the areas surrounding.

The Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines are controversial because not only will moving forward with this pipeline undercut United States efforts to clinch a Global Climate Change, but it also poses a threat to The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which is a good portion of the land that will be used for the pipeline. The Sioux Tribe and its people have been protesting against the construction of the pipeline since April 2016. However, despite their many efforts, newly elected President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on January 24, 2017 effectively reviving the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines. It was been argued that fracking is safe and does not affect the environment. However, there is evidence that states otherwise. “The evidence is surfacing from the Gulf of Mexico, two years after the major BP oil spill, to the waters of the Susquehanna River, heavily impacted by a decade of Marcellus Shale fracking. Fishers off the Gulf Coast have reported that up to 50% of Grouper and Red Snapper caught have large open sores, strange black streaks, and lesions never seen before.” (Betsey Piette. April 27, 2012. Worker’s Word. Retrieved from

The environment is a very important thing to take care of and can be very fragile. In the recent years humanity hasn’t been doing much to take care of the earth, and instead is destroying it in the name of progress. One of the harmful things that could really impact the environment is the North Dakota Pipeline. Some facts about the pipeline is that it is owned by Energy Transfer Partners who are the owners of Sunoco. Sunoco has had multiple onshore pipeline leaks and disasters that have devastated many environments. The planned pipeline is going to be 1,134 miles long and will cut through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois, by doing that it crosses fifty counties in total. Pipelines in general aren’t really the most reliable things