This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its supporters are vowing to resist Donald Trump’s executive order to allow construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline with legal action, civil disobedience, and a return to the “water protector” encampments.
“President Trump is legally required to honor our treaty rights and provide a fair and reasonable pipeline process,” said Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair Dave Archambault II, who called Trump’s action “politically motivated.”
“Creating a second Flint does not make America great again,” he added.
The executive order represents a major — if not wholly unexpected — reversal of fate for the $3.8 billion project, which was slated to cross the Missouri River just upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The tribe feared the pipeline would contaminate their drinking water and destroy sacred sites.
On Dec. 5, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the pipeline to cross the river, handing a major victory to the thousands of Native American and environmental activis... Read more
