Food & Water Action Fund: #NoDAPL fight continues
Update and action alert from Eleanor Bravo, Senior National Pipeline Campaigner, Food & Water Action Fund:
Some good news — yesterday, the Army Corps of Engineers put a halt to the Dakota Access Pipeline by denying a key permit for the pipeline to cross the Missouri River next to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network said:
“Today, the Obama Administration has told us they are not granting the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is not just an amazing victory for Standing Rock and the Oceti Sakowin — but also for the many other Tribal Nations, grassroots Indigenous communities and millions of Americans around the country who have stood in solidarity with us here in person, at rallies around the country, and through phone calls and letters. This is a victory for organizing, and it doesn't stop now. We are asking our supporters to keep up the pressure, because while President Obama has granted us a victory today, that victory isn't guaranteed in the next administration. More threats are likely in the year to come, and we cannot stop until this pipeline is completely and utterly defeated, and our water and climate are safe.”¹
Ask President Obama to PERMANENTLY stop the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect the Standing Rock Sioux's drinking water and sovereign rights.
The fight is not over. The corporations behind the pipeline — Energy Transfer Partners and Sonoco Logistics — want to move full steam ahead with the project to carry Bakken crude oil across native lands in North Dakota and down through farmlands and across waterways in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
And while the Obama administration is beginning to show the Standing Rock Sioux the dignity and respect they deserve, we know President-elect Trump will not do the same. Not only has Trump expressed his support for finishing the pipeline, but he is personally invested in Energy Transfer Partners — one of the multinational corporations building the pipeline.²
President Obama must come up with a permanent solution to stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline before Donald Trump takes office.
We can't allow a private oil and gas corporation to build a dirty and dangerous pipeline through sacred indigenous lands, put key waterways at risk and keep us addicted to climate-changing fossil fuels.
In the past months, following the lead of our indigenous allies on the ground, Food & Water Watch staff, volunteers and supporters have organized and supported solidarity actions across the country. We did the research on the financial backers of the pipeline to expose the ties of big banks,³ we’ve held fundraisers to support the camps, and our staff have traveled to Standing Rock to bring supplies and show support — in fact, we have staff are on the ground right now. Members and supporters like you have generated more than 70,000 letters and made more than 5,600 phone calls to get President Obama to finally take action. I can't thank you enough for all you've done.
While this decision from the Obama administration and the Army Corps of Engineers is an important moment, we must all continue to stand against the injustices against Native peoples and their allies.
In North Dakota, the water protectors are preparing to keep all five camps running throughout the harsh winter. I hope that supporters like you will continue to support those on the frontline.
Here's what else you can do to help:
- December is a Global Month of #NoDAPL action: Check out the map to find an event near you.
- Donate to support the Water Protectors in resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.
- Indigenous Rising — a project of Indigenous Environmental Network.
- Water Protector Legal Collective — to fund legal defense for those who have been arrested.
- Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council — to support those needing medical treatment as a result of violence inflicted on water protectors.
- Other. Check out the #NoDAPL Solidarity website for more information and ways to support the indigenous-led movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
I'm so proud to stand with you and others across the country to support Native communities. Thank you for everything you've done to stop pipelines that threaten our communities, our drinking water and our precious climate.
In solidarity,
Eleanor Bravo
Senior National Pipeline Campaigner
Food & Water Action Fund
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org
1. DAPL Easement Denied, but the Fight's Not Over, Sacred Stone Camp, December 5, 2016.
2. Trump supports completion of Dakota Access Pipeline, Reuters, December 5, 2016.
3. Who's Banking on the Dakota Access Pipeline? Food & Water Watch, September 6, 2016.
December 6, 2016