Matteo Daniele

Journal 11
Professor Rahman
11/15/16

Journal 11
Stretching over 1,170 miles from North and South Dakota, to Illinois as
well, a pipeline that would carry about 470,000 barrels of oil is being built.
The pipeline is projected to cost 3.7 billion dollars at the end of the
construction and would create over 10,000 jobs and is projected to import
millions of dollars into local economies as well. Although these may seem as
positives to nonlocals and supporters of the project, people living in the area
dont. Specifically, members of the Rock Sioux Tribe view the pipeline as a
hazard to the life of the land around them. They describe the land beard by
their ancestors who lived there many years before, as sacred property to
them. The land holds many years of fishing, hunting and even scared burial
grounds of their ancestors. The construction of the pipeline also brings worry
to the residents for future years to come. If a catastrophe were to occur and
the pipeline would burst or break, the water supply connecting to the
Missouri River would be damaged by the oil. Protestors have migrated to
rural parts of North Dakota to protest the pipelines construction. Local
protests have produced a total 142 arrests by local authorities. In total,
police have estimated over 400 arrests since the protests have submerged.
In a temporary win, the federal government has blocked the pipeline

companies from continuing work through the river. The Army Corps of
engineers has been in charge of reviewing original proposals that were
granted at the beginning of the project.
Healy, Jack. North Dakota Oil Pipeline. Battle: Whos Fighting and Why The
New York Times. 26, Aug. 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/us/north-dakota-