Dakota Access And Keystone XL Pipeline Movements Unite Against Trump
After President Trump signed memorandums to move forward on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, activists met at the White House.
LEARN MOREFebruary 7, 2017
The U.S. Army will grant an easement to finish the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Army was supposed to conduct an environmental impact assessment and take public comments through Feb. 20.
But President Trump signed an action in January calling for an expedited review.
The $3.8 billion pipeline will cross the Missouri River just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
The tribe has led the opposition movement against the pipeline. It says if the DAPL leaks, it could pollute the tribe's water source.
More than 70 people were arrested protesting the pipeline last week. There have been more than 750 arrests related to fighting the pipeline at Standing Rock, according to the Water Protector Legal Collective.
"We want to make it known that native nations deserve to have their treaties honored," said Chase Iron Eyes, an attorney and citizen of the Standing Rock nation. Iron Eyes ran for U.S. Congress to in North Dakota last year.
"This isn't just a fight for a native nation's right to clean, unprivatized drinking water, but this is part of a spiritual awakening that calls us to treat what the West calls 'natural resources' as relatives," he said.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says it will challenge the easement in court.
