Protesters unite against the DAPL. Image via indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Since the initial proposal in 2014, the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has continued fueling nationwide outrage. The 1,200-mile-long pipeline intends to transport 570,000 barrels of oil each day while situated underneath the Missouri River. Protesters include members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and environmental activists who are pushing for the prevention of worsening climate change and destruction to cultural sites.
For the Standing Rock Sioux, the Missouri River is the primary drinking supply for more than 10,000 of its tribal members. With more than 3,300 cases of oil pipeline leaks and ruptures since 2010, many are concerned this pipeline will eventually taint the vital resource. In fact — Endbridge Energy Inc., one of the stakeholders for the Dakota Access Pipeline — was accountable for one of the utmost detrimental preventable oil spills in the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek in Marshall, Michigan. Environmentalists stand in opposition to the potential increase in fossil fuel projects; arguing at times like these the United States should focus on alternative energy sources to combat global warming.
From an economic standpoint, the nearly $4 billion construction has the potential to produce generous revenue as more doors for oil trade could be opened. Yet, with such monstrous construction costs paired up with the $7 to $9 million used to subdue and attack protestors, the ultimate payoff of the pipeline is easily questionable. Countless of those opposing the pipeline argue that if said money were put to more efficient use, such as alternative energy that is both safer for the environment and mutually beneficial to the society and economy, this disaster could be averted.
The necessity of the pipeline is also called to question, considering how the U.S. already has the largest pipeline network in the world; thus begging the question — is the capitalization of these innocent people’s misery really needed?
However, the most disturbing aspect of the DAPL debate is the continued American tradition of disregarding Native American lives. Protesters have been labeled with numbers and thrown in dog kennels, beaten for praying, and shot at with rubber bullets and beanbags. All for one cause: ensuring the land and safety of the Standing Rock Sioux people.
The very foundation for this country lies on the xenophobic slaughter of Native Americans. The land in which the pipeline is intended to be built was given to the Sioux by the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, shortly followed by the U.S. government reclaiming the majority of the land returned to the Sioux just eleven years prior. The very construction of this pipeline was even initiated without the tribe’s consent. DAPL consultants also disregarded the sacred burial sites and archaeological features of the land, only relying on a 1985 survey to begin construction rather than searching the land to prevent desecration of the sacred sites.
By building the pipeline and not representing the DAPL protesters, the U.S. is bolstering racism toward Native Americans. The original course of the DAPL was much closer to Bismarck, a city populated by a majority of white citizens. This course was changed due to concerns for the health and well-being of the citizens. This is blatant evidence that the lives of white Americans are being systematically favored over the lives of minorities such as Native Americans.
The Dakota Access Pipeline continues to insult and degrade Native Americans while simultaneously risking water and air pollution. As protests continue to power through, one can only hope that voices will be heard, justice will be served, and compromise will be reached.