Running through a similar pathway as that of the well known
failed Keystone XL project, the Bakken Pipeline would run across the Ogallala
aquifer and the Mississippi rivers through sovereign Native lands.
A
federal court said on Wednesday it will rule next month whether to temporarily
halt construction of a controversial oil pipeline that has prompted large
protests in North Dakota.
After
more than an hour-long hearing, Judge James E. Boasberg said he’ll decide as
early as Sept. 9 on the injunction request the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed
against the so-called Bakken pipeline, a massive fracked oil line that would
cut through four Midwestern states and hundreds of waterways.
“We
are pleased that we had our day in court today, and we look forward to a ruling
soon,” said Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archaumbault II. “I
believe that everyone who attended the hearing today will understand that the
tribe is seeking fundamental justice here.”
Native
Americans say the pipeline threatens sacred sites and drinking water resources,
and that no meaningful consultation took place. The Army Corps of Engineers
disagrees. During the court hearing, the agency said the tribe declined to be
part of the process. The tribe in turn said they didn’t want to legitimize a
flawed process. The company building the pipeline, DakotaAccess, says the
project is safe and will benefit the region and boost energy independence. They
have, however, agreed to stop construction in that area of North Dakota until
the court rules on the injunction.
The
hearing in D.C. comes about a month after the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued
the Corps over the permits the Corps gave to the developer, DakotaAccess, to
build on an area roughly half-mile north of the reservation, and through the
Missouri River — as well as other federal waterways.
Dating back to 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil disaster springs
to mind when we mention the last 30 years of history regarding production and
distribution of oil. This creates doubt in many regarding the future
investments in antiquated resources as they feel there is no monetary value in
further pursuing this path. Europe and Asia are ever striving for a reduced
carbon footprint and greener energy sources, whereas America is more interested
in nostalgic energy sources.
Actresses
Shailene Woodley, fourth from right, and Susan Sarandon, second from right, and
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member Bobbi Jean Three Lakes, right, participate in
a rally outside the US District Court in Washington. CREDIT: AP/MANUEL BALCE
CENETA
Mr Fragoso continues with:
The
Bakken pipeline is roughly 48 percent complete, officials said during the court
hearing, and the line is scheduled to start delivering oil in January.
Construction is ongoing almost everywhere else, though a small group of Iowa
landowners managed to get a construction reprieve from state regulators
Wednesday.
As
the court hearing went on indoors in D.C., outside scores of mostly
NativeAmericans from as far away as Arizona gathered in a packed rally that
continued even after the hearing was over. Actresses Susan Sarandon and
Shailene Woodley were part of the protest. Woodley, who has been protesting in
North Dakota, is one of many celebrities that have over the past few months
called along Native Americans for a halt to construction and a repeal of
pipeline permits.
Comparable
in size to the more-famous (but rejected) Keystone XL, the Bakken pipeline is slated
to be the largest oil line coming out of North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields,
among the nation’s most active due to the fracking boom. The line would move up
to 570,000 barrels of sweet crude oil daily through the Dakotas, Iowa, and
Illinois.
The
nearly $3.8 billion pipeline is slated to cross multiple watersheds in its more
than 1,150 mile course. Aside from the alleged threat to sacred sites,critics
say the pipeline brings the threat of spill damage to thousands of miles of
fertile farmland, forests, and rivers. Federal agencies have said the Bakken
Pipeline avoids “critical habitat.”
Most
of the affected land is farmland, but the project does run through wildlife
areas and major waterways like the Mississippi, and the Missouri, the longest
river in North America.
Would you instill your trust in America’s track records
relating to oil disasters? Could we even remotely lay our trust in the very
government and private industry when it comes to running major rivers and
watersheds? Just imagine the possibilities of water contamination in areas
spread over Texas to North Dakota!
What are your thoughts?
Source : Counter Current News