Stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline

The Dakota Access pipeline is Keystone XL all over again. It’s slated to carry 450,000 barrels of dirty oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois, cutting through fragile wildlife habitat, environmentally sensitive areas and sovereign tribal property. Worse, the pipeline would travel under the Missouri River, threatening the drinking water of millions of people downstream if a catastrophic oil spill were to occur.

While the Obama administration announced a few weeks ago that “construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time,” this fight is far from over.

The Standing Rock Sioux are leading the fight, and they have inspired a wave of grassroots activism around the country. CREDO has played a critical role, including collecting more than 265,000 petition signatures and making thousands of calls to the White House. We also produced this video to highlight the local indigenous people and grassroots activists leading the fight:

On September 13, CREDO helped organize a rapid-response day of action with allies such as 350, the Sierra Club, the Indigenous Environmental Network, Honor the Earth and dozens of other groups. Thousands of people attended more than 200 events nationwide, with Bernie Sanders headlining a rally in Washington D.C.

“It is vitally important that we show our solidarity with the Native American people of this country,” Sanders said. “We cannot allow our drinking water to be poisoned so a handful of fossil fuel companies can make more in profits. This pipeline must be stopped. I am calling on President Obama today to ensure that this pipeline gets a full environmental and cultural impact analysis.”

This fight isn’t over. Here are some things you can do today to keep the momentum going:

• Sign the petition urging President Obama to stop the pipeline.
• Call the White House demanding that the pipeline’s permits be revoked.
• Contribute to the Sacred Stone Camp legal defense fund or the supply fund.
• Contribute to the Red Warrior Camp legal defense fund or purchase supplies for the camp through this wishlist registry.
• Donate to support pipeline fighters in North Dakota and Iowa through Bold Nebraska.
• Spread the word on social media using #NoDAPL

The grassroots activism in recent weeks has demonstrated that the indigenous people in North Dakota and the landowners in Iowa leading the fight to stop the Dakota Access pipeline have broad and deep support nationwide. It should also serve as a warning to the fossil fuel industry. People power has stopped dirty oil pipelines before – and will again.