Report: FBI Terrorism Task Force Investigating #NoDAPL Water Protectors

As reported by Democracy Now! headline news:

The Guardian reports multiple agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have been attempting to contact water protectors, sparking concerns the FBI may be investigating the indigenous-led movement as a form of domestic terrorism. Civil rights lawyer Lauren Regan said, "The idea that the government would attempt to construe this indigenous-led nonviolent movement into some kind of domestic terrorism investigation is unfathomable to me. It’s outrageous, it’s unwarranted … and it’s unconstitutional."

[See Democracy Now!'s regular reporting on DAPL and related matters, extending back many months.]

Veterans Return to Standing Rock as Dakota Access Construction Resumes

As reported by Democracy Now! headline news:

In North Dakota, military veterans have begun returning to Standing Rock to support the fight to stop the construction of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers last week. Water protectors say there are an increasing number of helicopters and Bureau of Indian Affairs agents policing the resistance camps.

[See Democracy Now!'s regular reporting on DAPL and related matters, extending back many months.]

Construction Begins on Final Section of Dakota Access Pipeline

As reported by Democracy Now! headline news:

In North Dakota, construction crews have resumed work on the final section of the Dakota Access pipeline, after the Trump administration granted an easement to allow Energy Transfer Partners to drill beneath the Missouri River. The construction resumed as opponents of the pipeline filed a last-ditch legal challenge in a federal court in Washington, D.C., Thursday. They’re seeking an order halting construction while a separate lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe proceeds in court. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says he’ll hear arguments on the motion—on Monday.

[See Democracy Now!'s regular reporting on DAPL and related matters, extending back many months.]

Army Corps to Greenlight Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline

As reported on Democracy Now! news headlines:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced it will greenlight the final phase of construction for the Dakota Access pipeline, prompting indigenous water protectors and their allies to call for a "last stand" against the $3.8 billion project. In a letter to Congress, acting Army Secretary Robert Speer said the Army Corps will cancel an environmental impact study of the Dakota Access pipeline and will grant an easement today allowing Energy Transfer Partners to drill under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River. The Army Corps also said it would suspend a customary 14-day waiting period following its order, meaning the company could immediately begin boring a tunnel for the final one-and-a-half miles of pipe. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has promised a legal fight. Tribal Council Chair Dave Archambault II said in a statement, "As Native peoples, we have been knocked down again, but we will get back up, we will rise above the greed and corruption that has plagued our peoples since first contact. We call on the Native Nations of the United States to stand together, unite and fight back." Other indigenous water protectors and their allies have vowed to take direct action to stop construction at the drill pad on the west bank of the Missouri River, less than a mile north of the Standing Rock Reservation. Activists are also planning solidarity actions in cities across North America and beyond. We’ll have more on the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline later in the broadcast.

[See Democracy Now!'s regular reporting on DAPL and related matters, extending back many months.]

Protests Erupt Nationwide as Army Approves Dakota Access Pipeline

As reported on Democracy Now! headline news:

Protesters rallied at demonstrations nationwide Wednesday to protest the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to greenlight the construction of the contested $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. The company behind the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, says it will start work immediately. Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House in Washington, D.C., to protest the project, which many fear could contaminate the Missouri River, which serves as a drinking water source for millions. Crowds also gathered in Los Angeles, Manhattan, Denver and San Francisco, where about a dozen people were arrested blockading the doors of the Federal Building. More protesters rallied in Ithaca, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Chicago, where four people were arrested after locking themselves to each other to shut down a Citibank to protest its investments in the pipeline. Many of the protesters were furious not only about the government’s approval of the pipeline, but also about Trump’s recent claims that no one had called the White House to express opposition to the project.

President Donald Trump: "As you know, I approved two pipelines that were stuck in limbo forever. I don’t even think it was controversial. You know, I approved them. I haven’t even heard—I haven’t had one call from anybody saying, 'Oh, that was a terrible thing you did.' I haven’t had one call."

As multiple news outlets have reported, the White House shut down its public comments phone line following Trump’s inauguration. However, hundreds of thousands of people have written statements denouncing the project since the Army Corps of Engineers opened up the public comment period in late January. On Wednesday, a group of veterans and indigenous water protectors delivered electronic versions of more than 200,000 of these comments to the Army Corps office in Manhattan. Meanwhile, the City Council of Davis, California, has voted unanimously to divest $124 million in city banking services from Wells Fargo over concerns about the bank’s backing of the pipeline.

[See Democracy's Now!'s regular reporting on DAPL and related matters, extending back many months.]