Dakota Access Pipeline Research Paper
The relationship between the Amerindians and the United States have been one of turmoil, war, and neglect. Treaties have been broken, lives have been lost, and genocidal acts have occurred. Presidents have forcefully removed Amerindians from place to place until they were forced onto reservations. Culture has been destroyed and religious artifacts decimated to create metropolises. But is the Dakota Access Pipeline another hit to the Amerindians? The purpose of this essay is to explain how the Dakota Access Pipeline is not only a finical benefit to the United States but the environmentally savvy one. The face of the protest against the pipeline is Dave Archambault III. He is the tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation for North Dakota (Hersher). He along with many originations have spent the past couple of years protesting the Obama administration and now the Trump administration to stop the completion of the pipeline. They say that the pipeline is being built on the Sioux reservation and that this project can contaminate their drinking water
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and can have a horrible environmental impact on the land (Dakota Pipeline). The article points out that the pipeline is not on the Native Indian reservation and that it is just north of the reservation. When it comes to what the law says about this- it is quite complex. According to the Treaty of Fort Laramine 1868, this treaty gives the Sioux ownership of the Black Hills and land and hunting rights in South Dakota. This is where the Sioux say that the pipeline is being built on their land. Unfortunately, this treaty was never upheld and the US companies and citizens moved into this land in the mid-19th century. This resulted in another conflict between the US and the Sioux. The US forced a treaty on the natives that would give the US the Black Hills. According to the Treaty of Fort Laramine 3/4 majority of all males had to vote for it and they did not. Then in 1980 the Sioux took the US government to court with United States vs Sioux Nation od Indians. This court case found that “just compensation to the Sioux Nation, and that obligation, including an award of interest, must now, at last, be paid" (United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians). This means that the lands did not have to be given back but that the US had to pay “just compensation” for the lands. When it comes to environmental impacts, oil pipelines are much safer and environmental friendly compared to alternative routes.
According to Standford Levin “There is more risk of an oil spill from rail transportation than there would be from a pipeline, so objecting to the pipeline because of potential harm to the lake and water supplies simply ignores reality. The potential harm will be reduced if the pipeline is constructed” (Levin). Is always does not take into account the amount of pollution that trains can produce. According to the Respiratory Lung Association, trains emit 40 toxic air chemicals. These chemicals can cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes and even premature death (Trains). Being able to get rid of these trains not only decrease the risk of many diseases but it also decreases the possibility of oil spills. That is not only a benefit for the US but also for the
Sioux. These protesters are fighting for the environment, but while doing so they have caused an environmental mess. Everyone remembers the massive amounts of protesters in the dead of a winter snow storm protesting against the pipeline. But many people do not realize after these people left they left trash and products behind when they left. According to Rob Keller, spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, he stated; “When all the campers vacated with that first snowstorm, they just kind of left a lot of items behind, and we don’t know what’s under the snow…” (Richardson). These people who say they are fighting for the environment left behind what looks to be the beginning of landfill. It was so bad that some protesters stayed behind to help clean up the mess they created.
and can have a horrible environmental impact on the land (Dakota Pipeline). The article points out that the pipeline is not on the Native Indian reservation and that it is just north of the reservation. When it comes to what the law says about this- it is quite complex. According to the Treaty of Fort Laramine 1868, this treaty gives the Sioux ownership of the Black Hills and land and hunting rights in South Dakota. This is where the Sioux say that the pipeline is being built on their land. Unfortunately, this treaty was never upheld and the US companies and citizens moved into this land in the mid-19th century. This resulted in another conflict between the US and the Sioux. The US forced a treaty on the natives that would give the US the Black Hills. According to the Treaty of Fort Laramine 3/4 majority of all males had to vote for it and they did not. Then in 1980 the Sioux took the US government to court with United States vs Sioux Nation od Indians. This court case found that “just compensation to the Sioux Nation, and that obligation, including an award of interest, must now, at last, be paid" (United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians). This means that the lands did not have to be given back but that the US had to pay “just compensation” for the lands. When it comes to environmental impacts, oil pipelines are much safer and environmental friendly compared to alternative routes.
According to Standford Levin “There is more risk of an oil spill from rail transportation than there would be from a pipeline, so objecting to the pipeline because of potential harm to the lake and water supplies simply ignores reality. The potential harm will be reduced if the pipeline is constructed” (Levin). Is always does not take into account the amount of pollution that trains can produce. According to the Respiratory Lung Association, trains emit 40 toxic air chemicals. These chemicals can cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, strokes and even premature death (Trains). Being able to get rid of these trains not only decrease the risk of many diseases but it also decreases the possibility of oil spills. That is not only a benefit for the US but also for the
Sioux. These protesters are fighting for the environment, but while doing so they have caused an environmental mess. Everyone remembers the massive amounts of protesters in the dead of a winter snow storm protesting against the pipeline. But many people do not realize after these people left they left trash and products behind when they left. According to Rob Keller, spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, he stated; “When all the campers vacated with that first snowstorm, they just kind of left a lot of items behind, and we don’t know what’s under the snow…” (Richardson). These people who say they are fighting for the environment left behind what looks to be the beginning of landfill. It was so bad that some protesters stayed behind to help clean up the mess they created.