DAPL has been operating for several years but is still being contested by the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. DAPL faced immense international opposition during construction, with tens of thousands of people joining in resistance on the ground. A new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was ordered by the Courts as a result of the Cheyenne River Tribe's continuing legal fight against the project.
In 2016, communities across the world protested in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and the threat it posed to the Tribes' drinking water supply.
In 2017, the Obama Administration correctly recognized the Corps' obligation to evaluate DAPL in an EIS before approval. Trump reversed course, ignored the law, and quickly pushed the project through before the courts were able to confirm that an EIS was required.
Just a couple years later, DAPL expanded capacity from 570,000 barrels/day (one of the biggest pipelines in North Dakota) to 1.1 million barrels per day (one of the biggest pipeline capacities in the whole country). In 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court affirmed the Corps violated environmental protection laws due to a lack of federal environmental review for DAPL, revoked the easement, and ordered the Corps to complete an EIS — but fell short of stopping the flow of oil through the pipeline.
Throughout this fight, water protectors have been resisting this risky pipeline and all of the harm that comes with it running through their communities. From destroying sacred sites, putting drinking water at risk, increasing the problem of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) that comes with fossil fuel project construction, and exacerbating climate change, DAPL has already caused real harm and should be shut down.
The Army Corps' draft EIS comment period is open right now through December 13, 2023. RSVP here to join a comment writing party this Thursday, OR if you can't make it you can use this toolkit to send a comment, and share news of the comment period this week.
Thanks again,
Drew and the 198 methods to stand with Standing Rock