Discussing DAPL

I have largely ignored the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest; unable, thus far, to really form an opinion due to a lack of substantive information. I am an independent-minded person, and a self-professed libertarian who voted for Gary Johnson (protest vote). I believe in industry, but I also believe in equality for all and fair treatment and consideration under the law. That being said, I want to speak about some of the negativity I’ve encountered regarding the protests and protesters.

But I digress, so let’s start from the beginning. On Aug. 18, the Bismark Tribune published an article that stated the pipeline was originally intended to run north of Bismark, but that plan was scrapped by the Army Corps of Engineers, citing concerns of possible contamination to Bismark’s water supply, among other issues, as well as proximity to roads and homes. Following the approval of the current, contentious route, the Standing Rock Tribe has argued that the pipeline threatens their water supply and sacred sites. Many people I’ve spoken to who are opposed to the protesters’ actions have rejected this argument in favor of the unsupported notion that the tribe simply wants to leach money from the project. It should go without saying, I hope, that if the threat of water contamination is reason enough for one group of people living near Bismarck to oppose the pipeline, then it is equally or more valid for a second, largely indigenous group to oppose it on similar grounds.

Now I know, and many others do as well, that pipelines are one of the safest ways to transport oil. There are already dozens of pipelines crisscrossing the country. And trains and trucks do not make anybody safer while transporting oil.

I also know is that many of us are looking at the protest from an ungenerous perspective. Do you think it’s frivolous to oppose a pipeline project with direct action? Well, if you built a pipeline through my backyard and promised me everything would be okay, I’d be suspicious at best. Now, if you had only one area of land set aside for all of your children forever, would you accept any threat to that land? I’m guessing not.

According to Chicago Tribune and other mainstream sources, there have been over 2,000 “significant” oil spill accidents involving pipelines. Many have been caused by corrosion and aging, but hundreds are still caused by faulty construction, bad welding, natural disasters, and human error like when a backhoe strikes a pipe. The other issue is that when a pipe pumps hundreds of thousands of gallons a day, one little backhoe strike can prove catastrophic to an entire populations drinking water. Years after the problem began, Flint, Mich., is still without a viable water system. DAPL is a single 30 inch diameter pipe buried 4 feet underground, and in no way resembles a super pipe designed for maximum safety such as Keystone XL.

I am speculating here, somewhat wildly, and as I pointed out, I am not an expert. I am not a Native American, nor am I a proponent of oil. I have no special right to wade into the arguments around why Standing Rock is happening, but based on what I have read and seen, I just think maybe instead of rejecting people on negative or racist grounds, maybe we should look and see what’s happening and try to have a conversation about moving forward. Maybe compassion should be our primary goal. After all, Standing Rock is the largest gathering of North American Indigenous Peoples in the last century. That fact alone is worth discussing in respectful terms.

I am not asking anyone to apologize for crimes in the past, and I do not condone violence from either side of this conflict. I do not believe we “should” do anything if we do not believe in it, but I feel it likely that many us have commented without much in the way of compassion. That seems like a shame.