Running through a
similar pathway as that of the well known failed Keystone XL project, the
Bakken Pipeline would run across the Ogallala aquifer and the Mississippi
rivers through sovereign Native lands.
A federal court said
on Wednesday it will rule next month whether to temporarily halt construction
of a controversial oil pipeline that has prompted large protests in North
Dakota.
After more than an
hour-long hearing, Judge James E. Boasberg said he’ll decide as early as Sept.
9 on the injunction request the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed against the
so-called Bakken pipeline, a massive fracked oil line that would cut through
four Midwestern states and hundreds of waterways.
“We are pleased that
we had our day in court today, and we look forward to a ruling soon,” said
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archaumbault II. “I believe that
everyone who attended the hearing today will understand that the tribe is
seeking fundamental justice here.”
Native Americans say
the pipeline threatens sacred sites and drinking water resources, and that no
meaningful consultation took place. The Army Corps of Engineers disagrees.
During the court hearing, the agency said the tribe declined to be part of the
process. The tribe in turn said they didn’t want to legitimize a flawed
process. The company building the pipeline, DakotaAccess, says the project is
safe and will benefit the region and boost energy independence. They have,
however, agreed to stop construction in that area of North Dakota until the
court rules on the injunction.
The hearing in D.C.
comes about a month after the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued the Corps over the
permits the Corps gave to the developer, DakotaAccess, to build on an area roughly half-mile north of
the reservation, and through the Missouri River — as well as other
federal waterways.
Dating back to 1989,
the Exxon Valdez oil disaster springs to mind when we mention the last 30 years
of history regarding production and distribution of oil. This creates doubt in
many regarding the future investments in antiquated resources as they feel there
is no monetary value in further pursuing this path. Europe and Asia are ever
striving for a reduced carbon footprint and greener energy sources, whereas
America is more interested in nostalgic energy sources.
Actresses Shailene
Woodley, fourth from right, and Susan Sarandon, second from right, and Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe member Bobbi Jean Three Lakes, right, participate in a rally
outside the US District Court in Washington. CREDIT: AP/MANUEL BALCE CENETA
Mr Fragoso continues
with:
The Bakken pipeline is
roughly 48 percent complete, officials said during the court hearing, and the
line is scheduled to start delivering oil in January. Construction is ongoing
almost everywhere else, though a small group of Iowa landowners managed to get
a construction reprieve from state regulators Wednesday.
As the court hearing
went on indoors in D.C., outside scores of mostly NativeAmericans from as far
away as Arizona gathered in a packed rally that continued even after the
hearing was over. Actresses Susan Sarandon and Shailene Woodley were part of
the protest. Woodley, who has been protesting in North Dakota, is one of many
celebrities that have over the past few months called along Native Americans
for a halt to construction and a repeal of pipeline permits.
Comparable in size to
the more-famous (but rejected) Keystone XL, the Bakken pipeline is slated to be
the largest oil line coming out of North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields, among the
nation’s most active due to the fracking boom. The line would move up to
570,000 barrels of sweet crude oil daily through the Dakotas, Iowa, and
Illinois.
The nearly $3.8
billion pipeline is slated to cross multiple watersheds in its more than 1,150
mile course. Aside from the alleged threat to sacred sites,critics say the
pipeline brings the threat of spill damage to thousands of miles of fertile
farmland, forests, and rivers. Federal agencies have said the Bakken Pipeline avoids “critical
habitat.”
Most of the affected
land is farmland, but the project does run through wildlife areas and major
waterways like the Mississippi, and the Missouri, the longest river in North
America.
Would you instill your
trust in America’s track records relating to oil disasters? Could we even
remotely lay our trust in the very government and private industry when it
comes to running major rivers and watersheds? Just imagine the possibilities of
water contamination in areas spread over Texas to North Dakota!
What are your
thoughts?
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