The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oil pipeline opponents call for protests around the world
Events across 23 states the response to their ‘last stand.’
CANNON BALL, N.D. — With the federal government about to green-light the final phase of the Dakota Access pipeline, opponents of the project called Wednesday for protests around the world in an action they dubbed their “last stand.”
Some members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has been at the center of the debate for nearly a year, urged “emergency actions” via social media. The Indigenous Environmental Network told people to target fuel-transportation hubs and government buildings and to expect violence and mass arrests.
Protesters posted an online list of nearly 50 events in 23 states and the District of Columbia. In one rally, several people were arrested for blocking public access to a federal building in San Francisco.
At a North Dakota encampment that has been the focus of the pipeline battle for months, the mood was tense, with a few dozen people milling about and refusing to talk about their plans.
Joye Braun and Payu Harris, two pipeline opponents who have been at the camp since April, said in an interview that there’s frustration but also resolve in the wake of the decision.
“The goal is still prayerful, nonviolent direct action,” Braun said.
The tribe maintains the decision violates its treaty rights, and its attorneys have vowed to keep fighting in court.
The 1,200-mile pipeline would carry North Dakota oil through the Dakotas and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. Construction is nearly complete but has been stalled while the government and Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners battled in court over the final segment.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation is just downstream from the crossing, fears a pipeline leak would pollute its drinking water. The tribe led protests last year that drew thousands of people who dubbed themselves “water protectors” to the encampment near the crossing. Protesters and police sometimes clashed, leading to nearly 700 arrests. Energy Transfer Partners insists the pipeline will be safe.
The camp’s population has recently thinned to fewer than 300, and the remaining protesters have been notified that the government-owned land will be closed Feb. 22.
On Wednesday, police or pipeline security continued to monitor the camp from nearby hills, as they have done for months. In the camp, few people were outdoors, where the wind chill sank to minus 20 degrees. The tribe itself has told camp occupants to leave, though there has been no effort to remove them. A new camp is being established on private land, according to Harris.
“This is not over. We are here to stay. And there’s more of us coming,” he said.
Chase Iron Eyes, an American Indian activist, reiterated a call for people to return to the main camp rather than leave.
“I’ll see you on the front line,” said Iron Eyes, who is facing a felony charge for allegedly inciting a riot during protest action last week near the camp.