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| A couple of the remaining activists that are left grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions there more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Two weeks after a victory in their fight against the Dakota
Access Pipeline, most protesters have cleared out of the main protest camp in
North Dakota - but about 1,000 are still there, and plan to remain through the
winter.
These folks say they are dug in at the Oceti
Sakowin Camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, despite the cold, for a few reasons.
Most are Native Americans, and want to support the tribal sovereignty effort
forcefully argued by the Standing Rock Sioux, whose land is adjacent to the
pipeline being built.
Others say they worry that Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP.N), the company building the $3.8 billion project,
will resume construction without people on the ground, even though the tribes
and the company are currently locked in a court battle.
Future decisions on the 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline are
likely to come through discussions with the incoming administration of Donald
Trump, or in courtrooms.
“I’ve seen some of my friends leave but I will be here until
the end and will stand up to Trump if he decides to approve the permit,” said
Victor Herrald, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, who has been
at the camp since August.
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| Supplies are piled up for the remaining activists that are left grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions there more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
At one point the camp had about 10,000 people, including
about 4,000 veterans who showed up in early December - just before the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers denied a key easement needed to allow the Dakota Access
Pipeline to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri
River.
After the Corps decision, Standing Rock chairman Dave
Archambault asked protesters to go home. The camp's population now runs from
700 to 1,000, depending on the day, and many come from the nearby Standing Rock
reservation where they live.
Those left say they are there to "show our
strengths," as Bucky Harjo, 63, of the Paiute tribe, from Reno, Nevada,
put it, while the tribe deals with the legal battle.
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| A couple of the remaining activists, hold up signs as they grapple with plunging temperatures that make conditions more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Logistics are key for those still at the camp, located on
federal land. Theron Begay, a Navajo journeyman who is a certified construction
worker and heavy machine operator, has been put in charge of winterizing the
camp. He is training volunteers to build structures that can withstand sub-zero
temperatures and bitter winds, as well as compost toilets.
Some people at the camp have gotten pneumonia, and they and
others went to an emergency shelter that was built three miles away to escape
the cold.
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| Supplies left for the remaining activists who are grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Because the Oceti Sakowin camp is located on a flood plain,
waste from the camp poses risks to the nearby Cannonball River. Tribal leaders
have said the camp may need to move if it wants to remain active. Begay said
the structures can be "disassembled like a puzzle in two hours” and
re-established on drier ground.
North Dakota's Governor Jack Dalrymple said in a Tuesday
statement that he and Archambault recently met to discuss reducing tensions
between the tribe and law enforcement. They are discussing reopening the nearby
Backwater Bridge on state highway 1806, which has been blockaded since Oct. 27,
when activists set vehicles on fire.
Harjo said he will leave "when I see the drill pad
removed and DAPL out of here, and when they reopen 1806 and when we are free to
go at our own will and not be targeted on the highway."
Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous
Environmental Network, and a constant presence in the camp, said the protest is
transitioning "to the next level of our campaign" to stop the
pipeline.
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| A snowman stands as the remaining activists are grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Some still at the camp worry that if they leave, Energy
Transfer Partners will restart construction. ETP asked a federal judge on Dec.
9 to overrule the government's decision and grant the easement. The judge
declined that request; the parties are due back in court in February. The Army
Corps is considering alternatives, which could take months.
Trump, who owned ETP stock through at least mid-2016,
according to financial disclosure forms, could order the Army Corps to grant
the permit. His choice for U.S. Energy Secretary, former Texas Governor Rick
Perry, is on ETP's board. Standing Rock Sioux representatives met with members
of Trump’s transition team this week to urge the incoming president to deny the
easement.
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| Remaining activists keep warm inside, at an emergency center, as they are grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Protesters who remain at the camp are still receiving
donations of money and supplies from people across the United States. On a
recent visit to the camp's emergency shelter it was filled with boxes delivered
via Amazon.com.
Goldtooth said tribal leaders are talking about an exit plan
for the camp. "We will continue to provide infrastructure support to those
who stay here," he said. "We'll make sure they're safe and
warm."
(Reporting By Valerie Volcovici in Cannon Ball, N.D.,
additional reporting by Andrew Cullen and Ernest Scheyder; Writing by David
Gaffen; Editing by Andrew Hay)
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| The remaining activists are grappling with plunging temperatures that make conditions more difficult at the protest camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, December 14, 2016. Picture taken December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici |
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-north-dakota-pipeline-camp-idUSKBN1470E4