US Veterans to “deploy” to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota December 4-7
Veterans for Standing Rock #NoDAPL pages states:
We are veterans of the United States Armed Forces, including the U.S. Army, United States Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard and we are calling for our fellow veterans to assemble as a peaceful, unarmed militia at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on Dec 4-7 and defend the water protectors from assault and intimidation at the hands of the militarized police force and DAPL security.
Jade Emilio Snell, a veteran of the Marine Corps, told CNN he will be attending on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leadership Council: “I’ve been watching the news, how they’re spraying everybody and using rubber bullets, and these guys are fighting for what they believe in and as a veteran we took an oath. We’re not just there to protect Americans in foreign countries. We’re here to protect this country inside of it, too.”
As part of his campaign, Donald Trump promised that oil and gas would be plentiful in the US.
Trump holds stock in Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and in Phillips 66. Both companies have a stake in the success of the Standing Rock pipeline.
According to MSN, as of May, disclosure forms stated that the President-elect held $15,000 to $50,000 worth of stock in ETP and $100,000 and $250,000 of stock in Phillips 66. Phillips 66 has one quarter share invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline.
On Black Friday the Army Corps of Engineers, delivered a letter to Standing Rock Sioux tribal leader Dave Archambault that all federal lands north of the Cannonball River will be closed to public access beginning Dec. 5 for “safety concerns.”
On Sunday U.S. authorities said they had “no plans to forcibly” remove the activists protesting the oil pipeline’s route near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation:
“The Army Corps of Engineers is seeking a peaceful and orderly transition to a safer location. This will reduce the risk of harm to people in the encampments caused (by) the harsh North Dakota winter conditions.”
At a news conference on Saturday organizers for the demonstrators announced that the 5,000 camped out at the main protest site had no intention of moving.
There are smaller camps on land not subject to the planned restrictions, including an area south of the Cannonball River where the Corps said it was establishing a free-speech zone.
Once built the 1,172-mile crude oil pipeline will carry 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
Native Americans and environmental activists argue that construction of the pipeline threatens the local water supply and traverses culturally sacred sites.
The Sioux through a more than century-old treaty with the U.S. government hold the rights to the land.
Energy Transfer Partners got federal permits for the pipeline in July 2016.
The New York Times reported:
The Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border, are suing federal regulators for approving the pipeline. They have challenged the Corps’ decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings and argue that the pipeline would be placed less than a mile upstream of the reservation, potentially affecting drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions downstream.
The tribe hasn’t fared well in court. A federal judge in September denied its request to block construction of the entire pipeline. An appeal is pending.
The nearly 1,200-mile pipeline is largely complete except for a section that would pump oil under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota.
The Corps of Engineers in July granted Energy Transfer Partners the permits needed for the crossing, but the agency decided in September that further analysis was warranted given the tribe’s concerns. Since then, the Corps has called for even more study and tribal input.
The company responded by asking U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to declare that it has the right to lay pipe under Lake Oahe. The judge isn’t likely to issue a decision until January at the earliest.
President Barack Obama earlier this month raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline, and Archambault has said that would be acceptable to the tribe provided the new route isn’t near the reservation. Archambault and others have called on Obama to stop the pipeline altogether.
Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren told The Associated Press that that the pipeline won’t be rerouted and the company has no alternative than to stick to its plan.
President-elect Donald Trump holds stock in Energy Transfer Partners. Pipeline opponents worry that Trump’s investments could affect any decision he makes on the project as president.
LEARN MORE: What Arab Americans Need to Know about Standing Rock and MSM
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