Target: Indigenous Environmental Network, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples
Goal: Praise Indigenous Environmental Network for persistently fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline and achieving recent success in court.
A federal court issued a ruling in favor of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s tireless fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). This ruling found that the Army Corps of Engineers violated federal law by permitting the pipeline to cross beneath the Missouri River, just north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. This represents monumental progress for indigenous tribes and the thousands of other people who have been fighting in the “Water is Life” movement since 2016. The many ups and downs of the battle against DAPL is detailed in this petition, this petition, and more.
In 2017, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued the Army Corps to have a permit overturned on the basis that the pipeline’s impacts were not properly evaluated under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Army Corps submitted a revised analysis to the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2019. Again, the tribe challenged its adequacy, stating that their concerns and expert advice had been excluded from the analysis. Last week, the D.C. Court of Appeals denied the Army Corps permit again, stating that they failed to address “expert critiques” regarding the possibility of disastrous spills and ordering them to redo their assessment. This process could take years to complete.
Dallas Goldtooth, a well known grassroots organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, said “This decision vindicates everything we have been saying…This is a huge win, not just for the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes, but for the hundreds of other nations fighting extractive projects on their lands.” Sign below to thank the Indigenous Environmental Network for their tireless fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline and their recent success proving the threat of DAPL in court.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Indigenous Environmental Network,
You have been ceaselessly fighting for indigenous people’s civil right to clean water and to autonomy regarding their ancestral lands.
Though this fight has been painful, your persistence to bring voice to these injustices has brought recent success. Thanks to your work, the Army Corps of Engineers is forced to reassess the impacts of the pipeline. This time around, we hope they will include expert indigenous knowledge in their reports.
Thank you for continuing to fight for clean water and autonomous decision-making for the future of indigenous lands.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Victoria Pickering
232 Signatures