Letter to the editor: Students should stand against Dakota Access Pipeline in solidarity with tribes

My friends in Vermillion, some say that money does the real talking, but how does one ignore the voices declaring,”No!”?

 The Spirit Camp—respectfully known as the Sacred Stone Camp—near Cannonball, North Dakota, is a peaceful protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Sacred Stone Camp stands for defense in the front lines, but your support will not be ignored.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile structure that would transport crude oil across North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, along with various tribal nations, remains on the front lines of opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline, and for good reason.

Construction of the pipeline violates the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 by clearly disturbing the use and occupation of tribal land. Sacred sites, traditional lands and burial sites have already been lost due to construction of the Oahe Dam and construction of the pipeline will bring further damage to these sites while belittling tribal sovereignty.

The planned pipeline will stretch 272 miles across South Dakota. Can you hear the “No’s!” rally together yet? Construction plans to take place beneath Lake Oahe, across the Missouri and the Big Sioux River, and there are those who hear the risks as a deafening silence. Being from Pierre, South Dakota, I would encourage you to research just how large Lake Oahe is.

The 174,000 square mile Ogallala Aquifer runs the risks of contamination from the pipeline. The Dakota Access Pipeline threatens agricultural, industrial and, more importantly, drinking water for many people. I encourage you, my friends, to research this situation more, for it is not an action that affects just one—it affects us all.

Do not let your voice go unheard. The time to act is now.

I hope this opens your ears; the voices are only getting louder.

Respectfully,