With the election furor drowning out most other stories, the struggle to prevent the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline has fallen from the public view. However, the situation there is escalating as the controversial project is nearing the completion of the pipeline’s North Dakota segment. The main section that has yet to be completed is the most controversial of all – the crossing of the Missouri river. The pipeline’s river crossing is the aspect of the project that the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies are most concerned about as it presents the greatest threat to their water supply and the surrounding environment. The river crossing is also a contentious issue as the company behind the Dakota Access pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, lack the necessary permit to bore under the river, meaning that this phase of the pipeline’s construction will be illegal unless a permit is acquired. However, the company and its partners have said that they expect to receive the permit in short order, though doubts have been raised as to whether the company will wait for the permit to advance the project.
I see many people around the world shocked that Donald Trump was actually elected president of the United States. I see people blaming racism, sexism, and ignorance as the main reasons Trump was elected, but if you look closer there’s a lot more to it than that.
