Megan Wittman, megan.wittman@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. – Today the comment period for the U.S. Army Corps’ draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) closed. Sierra Club collected over 17,000 comments demanding the dangerous pipeline be shut down immediately.
In the last several weeks, Indigenous tribes and water protectors have hosted gatherings in opposition to DAPL. At a public hearing in November in Bismarck, North Dakota, over one hundred people testified against the pipeline. Last week, Congressional leaders, including U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), joined a press conference with the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes calling on President Biden to shut down the pipeline.
The Dakota Access Pipeline was built without adequate Tribal consultation with the Standing Rock Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes, trouncing on treaty rights and burdening tribes and nearby communities with enormous risk. At nearly 1,200 miles, DAPL is one of the largest oil pipelines in the country, 1.1 million barrels of oil per day pass through the pipeline and threaten access to clean drinking water for millions of people.
In 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court affirmed the Army Corps of Engineers violated the law in failing to prepare an environmental impact statement for DAPL and that there is no valid pipeline easement across Corps land.
“We, as the future, need clean drinking water. We continue to stand up for Fort Laramie Treaty Rights that is designed to protect our livelihood as long as rivers flow and the grass is green. Shutting Down DAPL is just one step in making amends for the warfare tactics enacted by the governing systems that have made us marginalized on our homelands,” said Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Youth and Grassroots.
“The Dakota Access Pipeline is an urgent national climate issue. Every day that the pipeline continues to operate, our climate, drinking water, and health and safety of millions are in jeopardy. Over 17,000 people have joined the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes demanding that President Biden recognize Tribal sovereignty and protect our shared resources by shutting down this illegally-operating pipeline,” said Cathy Collentine, Director of the Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign at Sierra Club.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.