The Dakota Access Pipeline: 4 Ways You Can Help

September 22, 2016

Up to Speed on the Pipeline

In case you haven’t been tuned into the news lately, we want to bring you up to speed on the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline is a vast oil duct that is currently under construction—it is intended to carry more than a half a million barrels of crude oil per day from the Dakotas to Illinois.

 

The Latest (And Not-So-Greatest)

Amid a flurry of legal disputes, a federal court has ruled that construction may continue on the Dakota Access Pipeline. This means that the disastrous project will continue to ravage sacred lands while the Standing Rock Sioux's lawsuit against it is underway. It is more important than ever to take a stand against the pipeline and make your voice heard!

 

So What’s the Problem—Beyond The Obvious?

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others are protesting the pipeline, which threatens their water supplies and sacred lands. And honestly, after 500 years of having their property repeatedly taken from them, we understand why this fight is getting bigger and more important every day.

 

You Need to Join This Fight!

As the legal battle is fought in the courts, protests against the pipeline continue at the Standing Rock reservation and around the country. This fight is uniting environmental activists, supporters of racial and social justice, and tribes from all over North America, even those that have historically been at odds. For example, members of the Crow Nation haven’t been welcome in Sioux territory since 1876. But the pipeline protests have changed all that.

“There has never been anything like this in Indian country before, ever,” said LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a historic preservation officer for the Standing Rock Sioux.

 

Support Is Coming From All Over

Support has come in for the Standing Rock Sioux from all the over the country in many different forms. Here are just a few highlights:

• 40 people were arrested in southeastern Iowa at a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site.
• Neil Young recorded a protest song. Young also worked hard to defeat the Keystone XL pipeline in 2014.
• Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke at a big rally in Washington, DC, on September 13: “Stop the pipeline, respect Native American rights, and let us move forward to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels.”
• The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation recently awarded a $10,000 grant to the Indigenous Environmental Network to help them bring food and water to the camp and provide medical and legal aid for the protestors.

 

Here are Four Easy Ways YOU Can Help

Please join us right now in supporting this remarkable cause:

1) Sign this petition to urge President Obama to stop the pipeline.

2) Send much needed supplies to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their allies.

3) Follow the Standing Rock Sioux organizers to stay up to date on what’s happening and what’s at stake.

4) Join one of the many mobilization efforts happening nationwide. Check with your local activism leaders for details.

We’ve seen grassroots efforts create real change over and over again — and together we can make it happen in North Dakota. Stand with the Standing Rock Sioux against the Dakota Access Pipeline!