Dakota Access pipeline has first leak before it’s fully operational

Leak raises fresh concerns about hazards to waterways and outrages indigenous groups, who have long warned of threat to environment

by Sam Levin, Guardian, May 10, 2017

The Dakota Access pipeline has suffered its first leak, outraging indigenous groups who have long warned that the project poses a threat to the environment.

The $3.8bn oil pipeline, which sparked international protests last year and is not yet fully operational, spilled 84 gallons of crude oil at a South Dakota pump station, according to government regulators.

Push to Evict Remaining NoDAPL Water Protectors Intensifies

Oceti Sakowin camp of water protectors opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) on February 16, 2017. Photo by Jenni Monet.

Unseasonably high temperatures fuel increased pressure on water protectors to leave flood plain

by Jenni Monet, Indian Country Media Network, February 18, 2017

At Standing Rock, the day went from bad to worse. In a single day, campers, who call themselves water protectors, were targeted with eviction notices, stricter laws proposed against them, and a formal reminder that the physical fight against the Dakota Access pipeline was coming to an end.

Judge rejects Standing Rock request to block Dakota Access pipeline drilling

Tribes lose challenge to the president’s decision to speed approvals for last stretch of $3.7bn pipeline under Missouri river in North Dakota

by Sam Levin, The Guardian, Feb 13, 2017

A federal judge has rejected a request from indigenous tribes to block drilling of the Dakota Access pipeline, the latest blow to the Standing Rock Sioux after Donald Trump fast-tracked final permits for the last phase of construction.

The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes challenged the president’s decision last week to speed approvals for the last stretch of the $3.7bn pipeline under the Missouri river in North Dakota. But the US district judge James Boasberg sided with the pipeline corporation at a Washington DC hearing on Monday afternoon and ruled to allow continued construction.

Sioux tribes launch legal challenges against completion of Dakota Access pipeline

Developer says work has resumed and pipeline should be operational within 3 months

The Associated Press, Feb 9, 2017

Two Native groups — the Standing Rock Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux — have launched last-minute court challenges in an attempt to block final completion of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.

To Save the Water, We Must Break the Cycle of Colonial Trauma

by Ladonna Bravebull Allard, Sacred Stone Camp, Feb 5, 2017,via Earth First! Journal

The police came to Last Child Camp in broad daylight, with armored vehicles and guns drawn, to rip our people from our land.  Many water protectors were on prayer walks and in ceremony. We watched from the top of the hill at Oceti Oyate Camp as the troops moved in against them. We sent our prayers to those innocent and brave warriors who came to stand with the people of Standing Rock, and to protect the sacred waters of Unci Maka (Mother Earth).

Anti DAPL Forces Rally in Reaction to Trump Executive Memos

Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Archambault calls on people to submit comments to the EIS regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline

by Theresa Braine,  Indian Country Media Network, January 26, 2017

Two days after President Donald Trump signed memoranda designed to expedite the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and revive the Keystone XL pipeline, the battle lines are being drawn as the public comment period ending on February 20 becomes ever more crucial.

Standing Rock Tribal Council Approves Evacuation Order for All Camps

21 people were arrested at the Backwater Bridge, January 18 where a blockade has been set up since October 27. Standing Rock tribal leaders say the road closure has economically hurt the tribe.

Water Protectors Must Clear Out Within 30 Days

by Jenni Monet, Indian Country Media Network, January 21, 2017

FORT YATES, ND – In a unanimous vote, Standing Rock Sioux tribal council members voted to close the network of encampments behind the Dakota Access Pipeline protests within 30 days, including the main Oceti Sakowin, Rosebud, and Sacred Stone camps. Council members also voted against providing any temporary camps or shelters to individuals who should remain at the camps after the February 19 deadline.  The decision was made in an emergency meeting held on Friday, January 20 at the tribe’s headquarters in Fort Yates, North Dakota.

DAPL Water Protectors Forge a Way Forward Against the ‘Black Snake’

The Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock as winter closes in. Photo: Adam Alex Johannson/Indian Country Today

In camp and in court, those fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline expand to other arenas

by Chelsey Luger, Indian Country Today, December 23, 2016

When the U.S. Department of the Army announced its denial of the easement that would have allowed Energy Transfer Partners to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline crossing the Missouri River just north of the Standing Rock Reservation on December 4, exultation ensued. The Corps’ decision suggested that a full environmental assessment and pipeline re-route would be the only possible way for the company to complete the now $4 billion project.

Red Warrior Camp closes

December 2016 Official Red Warrior Camp Communique

Red Warrior Camp has left the Lands and Waters of Oceti Sakowin.

Grassroots leaders LaDonna Tamakawastewin Allard, and Chase Iron Eyes from Standing Rock have spoken and have made it abundantly clear that they want those equipped for the harsh North Dakota winter to stay and help stop DAPL, due to our current circumstance it is with great regret that we as Red Warrior cannot accept this heartfelt invitation. That is not to say we do not support this effort in fact is quite the opposite, we send our Warrior Salute and War Cry to the universe and the Ancestors that their needs are met and they receive the love and support they need in the fight for clean water.

Stay or go? Tribe gives conflicting messages to Standing Rock protest camp

‘We are not in the clear,’ says one member of Standing Rock Sioux tribe

By Blake Nicholson, The Associated Press, December 8, 2016

For protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline, the messages from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation are confusing: the tribal chairman tells demonstrators that it’s time to leave their camp and go home. Another leader implores them to stay through the bitter North Dakota winter.