Oil Pipeline Crisis of 2016

Author: Noah G.

The article I chose to use for my first blog post is dealing with the North Dakota State Senate trying to terminate or remove any information that occurred during the year of 2016, also known as the 2016 ND pipeline incident. This incident sparked national outrage in the United States due to the abuse protesters and Native Americans suffered trying to preserve sacred land belonging to the Native Americans. President Trump gave orders for this pipeline to continue being built, which cut right a long into Native American lands which was promised in the past to never be touched. Many protesters were shot with tear gas, beaten, and also placed into custody if they did not get out of law enforcement and construction personals way during the procedure. Many of the protesters were Native American and were being peaceful, so this is why it sparked so much outrage all over the United States.

The reason this effects the indigenous community is that bringing more fossil fuels and toxins into the land can lead to oil spills, natives getting sick, and possible dying. There is a positive side to providing this pipeline though as well. It would bring in massive amounts of oil to surrounding states through a single pipeline, which would then decrease gas prices and make it easier for barreling companies to produce crude oil. What is not okay, however, is that fact that it was affecting so many different peoples lives. President Obama back in 2015 put a halt on the project saying that he quote "With President-elect Trump set to take office in just a few weeks, we are hopeful that this is not the final word on the Dakota Access Pipeline". President Obama was trying to preserve and protect these sacred indigenous lands just weeks before he knew the Trump Administration would be taking over.

President Obama could have done even more to prevent the Dakota Keystone Pipeline from ever being completed. He could have forced the construction company to immediately cancel the project. This would have saved so much heart ache from people and would have continued to let the Native peoples of the land live stress free lives on there land. While this is an issue that was mostly publicized and many people knowing about it, did that many people care about the incident in 2016?

When we continue into late 2017, it is almost that this story faded from the media and was almost entirely forgotten. No one heard the outcomes of what had happened to the indigenous people and protesters. It was mainly "swept under the rug" and kept hush. That is why this new bill being proposed from North Dakota is absolutely devastating. They are trying to terminate documents such as fossil fuel records, incident reports involving protesters, and even the key component that this whole incident even happened.

This is not acceptable since we need to continue to protect our Native American communities and tribes. When incidents like this happen, it is really hard to keep faith that the indigenous people of North American lands will be safe for much longer. Our environment as we know it is crumbling slowly due to fossil fuels, so why would we advocate and push for the use of them any further?

North Dakota State Representatives are claiming that the information trying to be blocked from public view is for the best interest of security agencies and public schooling. This statement confuses me because I am not sure what this has to do with revealing to the public about what horrific acts were committed against indigenous people during the year of 2016. It is almost as if the United States Government is trying to make excuses as to why these people suffered the neglect and violence they did with no good rational explanation for it. SB 2209 has passed the Senate in North Dakota and is expected to head to the House of Representatives later next week. This post was published on February 15th, 2019, so this information is relevant to present day.

According to a verified source, over 300 people were injured during the incident and this cannot go unnoticed. Rubber bullets, tear gas, and freezing water guns in sub-zero temperatures. This is not acceptable for a group of peaceful protesters. It would have been a different matter if they perhaps were violent during the incident, but this is not the case. Lawsuits were also filed against the state of North Dakota and as well as the Federal Government of the US for excessive force.

In conclusion, it is a terrible thing what happened to these people on indigenous land. A pipeline should have never tried to have been built running through sacred lands, lands that the United States Government had promised to protect and preserve. People need to be more aware about what happens in the Native American community so we can learn how to stop incidents like this from occurring.


Author Bio: Noah G. is a student at IUPUI.




Sources: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-02-15/civic-engagement/nd-bill-would-hide-oil-pipeline-records-opponents-say/a65545-1

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/us-army-corps-blocks-dakota-access-pipeline-232172

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/21/dakota-access-pipeline-water-cannon-police-standing-rock-protest