"We are not protestors. We are life protectors": Standing Rock Sioux Tribe resist against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an 1886 km underground oil pipeline. In July 2020, a judge ordered to shut it down for violating the NEPA
Description:
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is part of the Bakken Pipeline Project (BPP). A 1886 km underground oil pipeline to transport around 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois, where it will shipped to refineries.The owner is the Energy Transfer Crude Oil, a Texas-based company and is financed by more than 15 banks around the world. See more |
Basic Data
Name of conflict: | Native American´s Sioux against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), USA |
Country: | United States of America |
State or province: | North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Ilinois. |
Location of conflict: | Standing Rock |
Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements Transport infrastructure networks (roads, railways, hydroways, canals and pipelines) Land acquisition conflicts |
Specific commodities: | Crude oil Land |
Project Details and Actors
Project details | -A underground pipeline across both sides of Lake Oahe in North Dakota. See more |
Project area: | 1,900 km |
Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 3,800,000,000 |
Type of population | Rural |
Affected Population: | 8,000 |
Start of the conflict: | 06/2016 |
Company names or state enterprises: | Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company from United States of America - owner Dakota Access, LLC from United States of America - Subsidiary of Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company, LLC, Phillips 66 from United States of America - co-investor Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP) from United States of America - co-investor Marathon Petroleum Corporation from United States of America - co-investor |
Relevant government actors: | U.S. Department of the Army; U.S Government; State of North Dakota;Department of Justice; Department of the Interior; Natural Resources Defense Council; American Petroleum Institute;The Army Corps of Engineers; |
International and Finance Institutions | Citybank from United States of America Wells Fargo (WFC) from United States of America BNP Paribas (BNP) from France SunTrust from United States of America Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) from United Kingdom The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG) from Japan Mizuho Bank (Mizuho) from Japan TD Securities ABN AMRO Capital ING Bank NV from Netherlands Norway's largest financial services group (DnB NOR ASA) from Norway Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) from China SMBC Nikko Securities from Japan from France |
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | EJOS: Great Sioux Nation, Supporters: National Congress of American Indians, Greenpeace; Science & Environmental Health Network; Sierra Club; Black Lives Matter (BLM), |
Conflict & Mobilization
Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Women Local scientists/professionals Sioux tribes. They have received solidarity visits from many other indigenous peoples' delegations (from Hawaii, Ecuador, Brazil, among others) |
Forms of mobilization: | Artistic and creative actions (eg guerilla theatre, murals) Blockades Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Land occupation Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Media based activism/alternative media Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Shareholder/financial activism. Street protest/marches Occupation of buildings/public spaces Arguments for the rights of mother nature Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment Ask for disinvestments actions; for example #DeFund DAPL campaign. |
Impacts
Environmental Impacts | Visible: Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation Potential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage), Global warming, Soil contamination, Oil spills, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity |
Health Impacts | Visible: Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..) Potential: Accidents |
Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Increase in violence and crime, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights Potential: Displacement, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Specific impacts on women |
Outcome
Project Status | Under construction |
Conflict outcome / response: | Criminalization of activists Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Court decision (failure for environmental justice) Repression Strengthening of participation Under negotiation Violent targeting of activists Fostering a culture of peace Application of existing regulations New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
Proposal and development of alternatives: | On december 2016, The Army announced to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing. Indians Americans claim for the recognitions and respect of govern theirselfs snd their land. |
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
Briefly explain: | The US Army Corps of Engineers suspended the project after months of protest, but in February 2017 said it planned to grant final easem*nt for the remaining section of the project. |
Sources & Materials
Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) | Treaty of Fort Laramie of April 29, 1868 | ||||||||||||||
References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries | Environmental assessment: Dakota Access Pipeline Project, crossings of flowage easem*nts and federal lands | ||||||||||||||
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Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Other comments: | - Dakota is the tribal name of the Dakota Sioux, meaning "friendly" or "allied." -“We do not own the land, the land owns us.”said a spiritual leader in North Dakota -On the Dakota language, the word “oahe” signifies “a place to stand on.” -Some slogans of the campaign are: "You can´t drink oil!" and " Water is Life! " --“Today is a historic day for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the many people who have supported us in the fight against the pipeline,” said Chairman Mike Faith of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. |
Meta information
Contributor: | Grettel Navas, ENVJustice Project |
Last update | 07/07/2020 |
Conflict ID: | 2668 |