Trump’s DAPL Order: What it Says, What’s Next, and Ways to Respond

From Mears Park rally against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

By now, you’ve heard that President Trump signed an executive memorandum to put the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) on the fast track. He also signed an executive order that will weaken environment reviews for a number of infrastructure projects.

Below are links to the verbatim language that Trump signed, a brief look at what’s coming next, and what you can do to stop the pipeline, including tweeting the President and weighing in on the current DAPL environmental impact statement.

Latest Absurdity: War Zone Missile Launchers Used to Scare Water Protectors

The North Dakota National Guard has taken the bizarre and extraordinary step of installing surface-to-air missile launchers near the Oceti Sakowin camp opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), according to reports in both The Daily Beast and Fox News.

It is the latest move in the overly militarized response to the water protectors. Those opposing the pipeline already have suffered attacks with high pressure water hoses in freezing temperatures, concussion grenades, and rubber bullets. The addition of missile launchers is nothing other than an effort at “Shock and Awe” against U.S. citizens, the vast majority of whom have opposed the pipeline in a peaceful and prayerful manner.

The National Guard downplayed the presence of these intimidating weapons, saying they were not loaded and the Guard “does not have the authority to arm them,” according to The Daily Beast.

No matter how the National Guard spins it, this is about intimidation.

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Doing Its Own Environmental Impact Statement for Northern MN Pipeline

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is stepping up its efforts to stop Enbridge Line 3, a proposed reroute and expansion of an oil pipeline running through northern Minnesota, from Kittson County in the northwest corner to Duluth/Superior.

We wrote last week about Enbridge’s Line 3 plans (read here). The project has raised concerns about leaks that could contaminate fresh water and wild rice areas. The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe plans to develop its own environmental impact statement (EIS) as a “supplement and counterpoint” to the EIS being developed by the State of Minnesota.

Honor the Earth is calling it “The People’s EIS,” and is raising money to help move it forward.