Standing Rock Won’t Draw Water from North Dakota by End of Year

This map shows approximately where the Dakota Access Pipeline will cross the Missouri River, in red, along with the locations of Fort Yates, North Dakota, and Mobridge, South Dakota, marked in green. (Courtesy of the SayAnythingBlog)

Despite numerous allegations from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe about the threat to water for the reservation from the Dakota Access Pipeline, what has gone unreported is the slated closure of a water intake from Lake Oahe at Fort Yates, ND.

In a conversation reported on SayAnythingBlog Dave Rosencranz, the Dakotas Area manager for the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, pointed out that the Standing Rock community is served by water intakes on Lake Oahe but the Fort Yates intake, which is nearest the Dakota Access Pipeline crossing, is slated for closure. “There’s been a lot of issues with that intake,” referring to the Fort Yates facility. “It’s just time to replace it. It’s basically at the end of its life.”

Once again we see that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their allies are willing to talk out of both sides of their mouth to get their way. First they claimed this protest was regarding the safety of their water resources, and now the facts show that they won’t even be pulling water from North Dakota by the end of the year. At first they claimed they would hold a peaceful protest to protect their water, and now violence has broken out as the Standing Rock Sioux attacked members of the labor community.

How much longer can we listen to people who will clearly say whatever it takes to keep the spotlight on them and their agenda? The reality is clearly much different, lies are becoming exposed, and the fabric of the protest is beginning to unravel. Violent acts are now guiding these protesters and it’s time to put a stop to it.

The Myths and Facts Behind the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Claims

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has made many accusations toward Dakota Access and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that just aren’t true. We’ve debunked many other claims as false, and discovered that hundreds of consultations were held on the pipeline project with Native American tribes and nations. Here are a few more of the myths being spread, and the real facts behind them. 

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The more you look, the more you realize that the claims of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their radical environmental allies at EarthJustice don’t add up.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and public discourse is important on a project of this scale. But after nearly two years of thorough review and final approval by multiple state and federal regulatory agencies, the time has come to construct the pipeline.

Native American Tribes Were Consulted Throughout Pipeline Review Process

It’s a popular claim of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe that there was “no meaningful consultation” with Native American Tribes and Nations regarding the placement of the Dakota Access Pipeline. But like many other claims, this just simply isn’t true. 

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In fact, the United States Government, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had 389 meetings and contacts with Native American tribes according to an exhibit filed as a part of the USACE Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

So which Native American tribes and nations were included in these contacts? Take a look at the long list of those consulted. Notice a familiar name? That’s right, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is listed and was contacted as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers comprehensive review. Despite their claims to the contrary tribes were contacted and consulted multiple times throughout the review process.

“Our tribe has opposed the Dakota Access pipeline since we first learned about it in 2014… permits for the project were approved and construction began without meaningful consultation.” (Dave Archamabult, “Taking a Stand at Standing Rock” New York Times Op-Ed, 8/24/16)

The more you look, the more it seems the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is just looking for the best narrative to state their case, rather than presenting the real facts behind their case.

This is the reality: the Dakota Access Pipeline was approved by numerous state and federal organizations in consultation with Native American tribal officers and historic preservation experts.

Despite the facts, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe continues to spread falsities

The statements of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) just don’t add up, and the facts are clear. Despite multiple statements to the contrary, the SRST and their allies have in fact been consulted multiple times by both Dakota Access and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to construction of the pipeline.

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In a lawsuit filed by the radical environmental group EarthJustice on behalf of the SRST claims that, “Neither [Dakota Access] nor the Corps ever consulted with the Tribe…or had invited their participation as the Tribe had repeatedly requested.” The Chairman of SRST, David Archambault, wrote in the New York Times last week that, “permits for the project were approved and construction began without meaningful consultation.”

While this narrative might play well in the media, it could not be further from the truth.

A basic examination of documents provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state utility boards, as well as filings by the Corps of Engineers and Dakota Access in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia shows the SRST and environmental allies met with regulators multiple times, and filed over a hundred comments throughout state and federal review periods. Filings also show that Dakota Access made seven attempts to meet with the tribe directly but were rejected every time.

Spreading misinformation and ignoring inconvenient facts is not the proper way to foster meaningful discussion. Based on these revelations, it’s hard not to wonder what other fictional tales the SRST and EarthJustice would like to have us believe.

Hundreds Gather In Support Of Dakota Access Pipeline

dakota access pipelineHundreds of union members gathered outside the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) in Des Moines this morning to show support for the Dakota Access Pipeline. At issue, a handful of opponents threatening a vital infrastructure project already well on its way to completion.

Earlier in the day, Ed Wiederstein, chairman of the MAIN Coalition, said in a statement that he was “dismayed” by continued efforts to derail a project that is already employing thousands of Iowans. “It is completely ludicrous the Dakota Access Pipeline will once again be brought to the Iowa Utilities Board for review,” he said. “Opponents of Dakota Access want to keep changing the rules after a decision has been made.”

“It is completely selfish of these individuals to threaten an entire workforce with termination solely because they want to throw a wrench in the regulatory system,” said Bill Gerhard, president of the Iowa State Building and Constructions Trade Council. “Construction should be allowed to take place, as it was before, because the letter of the law was followed and this project was approved by the State of Iowa.”

Inside, the lawyers for Dakota Access asked the commissioners to reject a motion that would halt construction on 17 tracts of land, saying that landowners have already had numerous opportunities to voice concerns and that the IUB already made their decision in March. Attorneys also added that nearly 22 percent of the pipeline in Iowa was already built. The board adjourned at 1 p.m. following several hours of debate and gave no indication when it would vote other than it meet again Friday afternoon.

Desperate attempts like this to undermine the regulatory process and hinder the construction of valuable infrastructure are in nobody’s best interest. The Dakota Access Pipeline has sought and received all of the required state and federal regulatory approvals and is now well on its way to being operational.

Dakota Access Supporters Rally In Front of IUB

Members of the MAIN Coalition along with members of craft trade unions rallied in front of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) today to express their support for the project ahead of an emergency hearing.

The supporters have come together to protest the unnecessary additional review of the project which has already been fully approved and permitted by four state regulatory bodies, including the IUB, and the federal government.

The MAIN Coalition’s Chairman, Ed Wiederstein, stated the following:

The MAIN Coalition is dismayed the opponents of this project are once again trying to stop a lawfully approved project that is already employing thousands of Iowans, and will bring benefits to our state for years to come. It is completely ludicrous the Dakota Access Pipeline will once again be brought to the Iowa Utilities Board for review.
This project was reviewed under the laws of the State of Iowa for the better part of a year and a half. The IUB should stand by their decision earlier this year and allow for the full authority and construction of the project. 
Opponents of Dakota Access want to keep changing the rules after a decision has been made. This sends a terrible signal to any business or industry wanting to build or relocate to Iowa; what business would invest tens of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure only to have regulators have a change of mind a year later?
Iowans of our state deserve well-paying jobs, safe energy infrastructure, and the opportunity for a significant investment in our future. The Dakota Access Pipeline should remain approved and construction should continue.

Bill Gerhard, President of the Iowa State Building and Constructions Trade Council, issued the following statement: 

The last ditch efforts by opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline threatens to kill the jobs of thousands of Iowans. It is completely selfish of these individuals to threaten an entire workforce with termination solely because they want to throw a wrench in the regulatory system. Construction should be allowed to take place, as it was before, because the letter of the law was followed and this project was approved by the State of Iowa. The rest of Iowa gets it and wants to move forward.

Mike Ralston, President of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, stated the following:  

The Iowa Association of Business and Industry is disappointed this matter is once again being brought before the Iowa Utilities Board. This project has already been approved – the Dakota Access Pipeline should proceed with construction as it was lawfully permitted to do months ago. These final efforts of opponents to this project are a sad attempt to once again to take people out of work and deny the people of this state affordable energy.  

North Dakota Media Calls for Construction to Continue

The Grand Forks Herald published an editorial which called for construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline to continue and for the ongoing protest in Morton County to cease:

“In the eyes of the public, protesters who take the law into their own hands have two strikes against them.

Violence results in the third strike. That means the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline is ‘out,’ and the protesters should heed North Dakota Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley’s call to disperse.”

In the wake of nearly three dozen arrests, and ongoing reports of continued violence, trespassing, and threats to law enforcement and construction workers, not to mention a siphoning of state resources. It appears that these protesters have worn out their welcome in Morton County.

If there was a case to be made, it should have been made long ago at the three public hearings that were held by the Public Service Commission and not at the expense of public safety and North Dakota taxpayers. But since these groups did not bother to show up, it’s certainly not the time to make these points now, nor is it ever acceptable to commit the violent and illegal actions committed to date by these protesters.

Lee County Supervisors See Pipeline Construction, Safety Precautions up Close

Throughout the lengthy and exhaustive approval process for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, representatives of the men and women who would be put to work on the project repeatedly stated their intention to build the pipeline with safety as the top priority. This week, Supervisors from Lee County, Iowa decided to see firsthand just how the construction of the pipeline would look. Their visit was covered by a reporter at The Hawkeye and described what they saw.

 Board chairman Ron Fedler, Matt Pflug, Gary Folluo and Rick Larkin were given a rare glimpse at the progress of the pipeline, which nearly splits Lee County in half, from it’s northwest corner at the Van Buren county line, south of Montrose along the Mississippi River.

 The pipeline enters Lee County west of Donnellson, then cuts 30 miles across the county before crossing the Mississippi River into Hancock County, Ill. In total, the 1,168-mile Dakota Access pipeline will run from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to an oil refining hub in Patoka, Ill., transporting crude oil through a 30-inch underground pipeline.

 “It blows my mind how they put this all together,” Pflug remarked as they gathered along the riverbank before heading to the site of the Mississippi River bore.

The article went into detail about the steps taken to ensure safety at the drilling site.

 Michels, the horizontal drilling company employed by the project’s contractor, Precision Pipeline, keeps between seven and 10 laborers, operators, teamsters and drillers on-hand about 10 hours per day working on the bore.

 “These guys really take a lot of care in what they do,” Weaver said. “I mean, there’s a lot riding on a job like this, right here. We have to make sure that we do it right.”

 For the men and women in the oil pipeline industry, it’s “all about the integrity of the pipe.”

Once completed, the pipeline will carry Dakota oil to a refinery in Illinois, and significantly boosts the energy security of the Midwest as well as the nation.

South Dakota Political Blog Highlights Chaos in Morton County, North Dakota

The Dakota War College, a South Dakota political news site, published a piece that highlighted the disintegration of law and order in Morton County, North Dakota during the ongoing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The “Spirit Camp” at the confluence of the Missouri and Cannon Ball Rivers has become a site of lawlessness and opposition to all forms of authority as protestors continue to engage police, shut down highways, threaten aircraft, vandalize public services, and illegally occupy private land.

The posts also highlights the influence of environmental groups who have allied themselves with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe as part of a broader campaign to stop the development of important energy infrastructure. According to the post, one of those groups, EarthJustice, who is now suing the United States Army Corps of Engineers for their approval of the construction permit at the Lake Oahe crossing, also made no attempt to participate in the public process including three public hearings held by the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

Construction Disruption A Safety and Security Risk

The Independent Women’s Forum recently published a post which called the disruption of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline a “safety and security risk.”

In reports from the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, protesters have continued to forcefully and even violently engage both law enforcement and construction personnel. Not only have there been numerous violent incidents that have forced the involvement of Morton County and the North Dakota State Troopers, but now even the FBI is investigating incidents of protesters threatening the safety of overflying aircraft!

What should have been a peaceful exercise in public discourse has devolved into a state of lawlessness. The actions of these protesters should no longer be tolerated.