Public input sought on Dakota Access pipeline’s environmental impacts – GWC Mag

The Army Corps of Engineers is inviting public comments on the Dakota Access pipeline’s environmental impact, years after its contentious approval.

— Anita Hofschneider reports forGrist.

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In short:

• The Dakota Access pipeline has been operational since 2017, transporting up to 750,000 barrels of oil daily.
• A federal court mandated a comprehensive environmental impact statement due to potential significant environmental effects.
• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe remains concerned about water contamination risks.

Key quote:

“Am I going to be the tribal chair that has to deal with a disaster? A pipeline that breaks?”

— Janet Alkire, Chair of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Why this matters:

The controversial DAPL pipeline, which threatens the Standing Rock tribe’s drinking water, cultural practices and sovereignty, became a consequential chapter in the climate justice and Indigenous rights movements. This public comment period offers an opportunity to weigh in on a longstanding environmental justice concern regarding the fossil fuel industry’s impacts on Indigenous communities.

For more: Max Aung wrote for EHN’s Agents of Change program about the need to make health a priority in meeting our energy needs.

What do you think will be the long-term legacy of the Dakota Access pipeline resistance movement?

AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.