Dakota Access Pipeline will make 200 river crossings

[womanofthehills]

In total, the pipeline will make 200 river crossings, including the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, in four states. The US army corp of engineers, which has jurisdiction over pipelines that cross major waterways, approved the Dakota Access plan despite warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency that leaking oil could pollute the rivers.

The pipeline was originally meant to run near the city of Bismarck, which has an overwhelmingly white population, before objections resulted in it being relocated to a site near Native American land.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/13/dakota-access-pipeline-protests-north-dakota-sioux

[dhill926]

1. well...there you go....

"The pipeline was originally meant to run near the city of Bismarck, which has an overwhelmingly white population, before objections resulted in it being relocated to a site near Native American land."

[asiliveandbreathe]

2. I am half-way thru another article on same subject -

more on the environmental side -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dakota-access-pipeline-protests-water_us_57d85a51e4b0aa4b722d12b1?section=&

I will bookmark the guardian article..

I hope more people get involved with this effort to stop this pipeline - American Indian community - land - enough already -

[womanofthehills]

3. I just read your link on Huffington - No environmental impact statement - it's a law????

When my town in NM was fighting a Kinder Morgan CO2 pipeline, the environmental impact statement was a big thing because of all the ancient Indian ruins in this area. It also included all the endangered plants and animals, how it would impact water flow because of the many arroyos, how it would impact the town, air quality and location of the pumping stations, etc.

What is the historical context for what is happening with the Dakota Access pipeline?

I would say the main point in terms of historical context is that these oil pipelines — the Keystone XL, Enbridge and other companies’ pipeline expansions throughout the Great Lakes region, the growing natural gas pipeline buildout — have always undergone an environmental impact statement that looks at the impacts and alternatives and so forth before they are allowed to go forward. It’s required by law under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Keystone XL controversy really was a turning point. Since then, we’ve seen the Army Corps of Engineers, in particular, and other agencies basically approve pipeline after pipeline without any environmental impact statements. That’s what happened here.

From link above

[asiliveandbreathe]

4. pipeline buildout — have always undergone an environmental impact statement

That looks at the impacts and alternatives and so forth before they are allowed to go forward. It’s required by law under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Keystone XL controversy really was a turning point. Since then, we’ve seen the Army Corps of Engineers, in particular, and other agencies basically approve pipeline after pipeline without any environmental impact statements. That’s what happened here.


To put a finer point on it, the tribes are concerned about, among other things, water quality, and no agency has ever analyzed the risks or impacts of oil spilling from this pipeline, in any state of review. Not a single word. They(corp) need to follow the LAW -


The way the Corps has begun avoiding this transparent process is through what’s called nationwide permit 12. It’s essentially a blanket permit for pipelines up to a half-acre of impact, a pre-issued permit. The Corps has begun treating these 1,200-mile pipelines like a series of half-acre projects that each qualify under that exemption. This is a general permit that doesn’t mention oil spills or climate impacts and never talks about Native American tribes and cultural significance and sacred sites.

Seems to me anyway - the WH, as the President did with keystone XL - will require an Environmental impact study - There can be NO work around the LAW, with the nationwide permit 12

..I need to read up on the Corp, who gives marching orders ie :work-around the NEPA and permit 12..

.be well - tks for the discussion- I am also following the Escalade Project at the Grand Canyon - on hold for now....

[Tsiyu]

5. Went horseback riding over a gas pipeline last week

The Arabian was NOT happy and tried to get away from the center of the line and over to the side the entire time. Kinda freaked me out, like does she know something I don't?

K & R because this pipeline is going to do so much harm, even if 4 or 5 "special snowflakes" might make a metric fuckton of money off it.

The 1% have no souls.

[womanofthehills]

6. Yesterday - mass arrests of protesters with automatic weapons pointed at them - f**king sick

Arresting people who have not crossed the line. Good thing media was live broadcasting. - targeting media with cameras for arrest

[G_j]

9. Remember how they eventually succeeded in crushing Occupy

Wallstreet?

That movement was quite powerful, but this is powerful on even more levels. They will do all they can to crush this movement also. We must stand by our brothers and sisters and not let that happen now!

[womanofthehills]

7. Iowans getting arrested too - however, in a much nicer way - no guns pointed at anyone

[burrowowl]

8. K&R!!!!!!

Good article!

[womanofthehills]

10. 72% of welds during one week on the "safest pipeline" required redoing

PHMSA - Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration under the Dept of Transportation

From Bloomberg News

Now, before anyone howls “here we go again” about regulators sticking it to business, consider the source (the PHMSA is hardly an activist agency), and consider a sample of what the PHMSA called TransCanada out on.

“From the start of welding,” the PHMSA wrote in a Sept. 26, 2013, letter (PDF), “TransCanada experienced a high weld rejection rate.” (That is, ultrasonic testing on the welds holding the pipes together determined they were not up to snuff.) “During the first week 26.8 percent of the welds required repairs, 32.0 percent the second week, 72.2 percent the third week, and 45.0 percent the fourth week. On September 25, 2012, TransCanada stopped the Spread 3 welding after 205 of the 425 welds, or 48.2 percent required repairs.”


During one week in September, 72 percent, or almost three-quarters, of the welds on the “safest pipeline in the world” required redoing. (TransCanada, for its part, says it has addressed the PHMSA’s concerns, and you can read its response in writing here [PDF].) Throughout the Keystone XL fight, TransCanada has maintained that the chance of a spill is remote, and that its pipelines are state-of-the-art. But the implications of TransCanada’s inferior welding on its Southern leg are precisely why the Keystone XL has met with such fierce resistance on the ground in Nebraska. It’s there the planned pipe will pass over the Ogallala aquifer, which irrigates much of the Great Plains, and directly and indirectly supports millions of American jobs—and that’s not counting all the drinking water.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-05-30/the-real-reason-keystone-xl-might-fail

[womanofthehills]

11. Just released - Felony charges being pursued for civil disobedience

MANDAN, N.D. - Morton County authorities are investigating multiple protest activities in an area north of Almont that occurred Wednesday morning. Law enforcement arrested three individuals for felony reckless endangerment for being attached to construction equipment. Officers also arrested two other men for C felony conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment and other misdemeanor charges for their involvement in assisting unlawful protesters in attaching to equipment. Reckless Endangerment carries the maximum punishment of five years in prison and/or up to a $10,000 fine.

In addition, officers made a traffic stop on County Road 86 near the construction area. The driver was arrested for conspiracy to commit obstruction of a government function. Officers say they witnessed the driver transporting protesters. During an inventory search of the vehicle, officers found paint and mechanisms protesters are using to attach themselves to construction equipment. Authorities have impounded the van.

Law enforcement also arrested two men after they were connected to trespassing on another construction site. They were found walking in the area. They were both arrested for conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit obstruction of a government function, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. One was arrested for criminal facilitation. The other person was arrested for conspiracy to commit criminal facilitation and both were arrested for criminal trespass.



http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Felony-charges-being-pursued-related-to-Dakota-Access-Pipeline-protests-393468761.html