North Dakota increases security at DAPL protests

OREANDA-NEWS. September 09, 2016. North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple will call on a small number of the state's National Guard troops to support local law enforcement as protests escalate against Energy Transfer's Dakota Access crude pipeline (DAPL).

A court decision is expected tomorrow on a lawsuit by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe against the US Army Corps of Engineers. The tribe is asking a federal judge in the District of Columbia that the Corps vacate the relevant permits for DAPL and halt construction of the line.

A ruling against the tribe could trigger large protests as hundreds of Native Americans from various tribes as well as environmental activists have gathered near a construction site south of Mandan, North Dakota.

A federal judge earlier this week partially granted a request by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe for a temporary restraining order to halt construction on a portion of the line. The tribe alleges that sacred ancient burial sites and other significant cultural artifacts were destroyed on 3 September by the pipeline's construction.

Energy Transfer denies the allegations, saying that the path of construction has been surveyed by qualified archeologists and approved for work by the state's historic preservation officer, according to court filings.

The National Guard troops will serve in administrative roles and assist in providing security at traffic information points. Dalrymple also placed additional guardsmen on standby alert in the event they are needed to assist with response efforts.

Previous protests have turned violent, according to local police. On 3 September, a few hundred protesters broke down a wire fence and some physically assaulted private security officers hired by DAPL, according to the Morton County Sheriff's Department.

Chairman of the Standing Sioux tribe Dave Archambault was notified today about the National Guard involvement, according to a written statement. Archambault urged supporters to greet any court decision tomorrow with peace and order.

"Even if the outcome of the court's ruling is not in our favor, we will continue to explore every lawful option and fight against the construction of the pipeline," he said.

DAPL will move at least 470,000 b/d of crude across four states from the Bakken shale in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois, for further delivery to the US Gulf coast.

Energy Transfer has filed its own lawsuit against Archambault and other protesters. A hearing in that case was postponed until 20 September, at the request of all parties.