US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a document that allows the government to reconsider the construction of Dakota Access Pipeline, a project that was routed in December by Obama Administration due to protest from activists and the native Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
Large numbers of activists and Standing Rock natives protested in New York City, Seattle, Washington D.C and other parts of USA.
Hollywood actress Jane Fonda rallied protesters picketing Trump’s decision to resume the construction of the controversial North Dakota pipelines.
Jane Fonda dubbed Trump the ‘Predator-in-Chief’. “He does this illegally because he has not gotten consent from the tribes through whose countries this goes,” Fonda said.
“The U.S. has agreed to treaties that require them to get the consent of the people who are affected, the indigenous people who live there.”
The Standing Rock tribe has released a lengthy statement on Tuesday where they vowed to fight the orders.
“We are not opposed to energy independence. We are opposed to reckless and politically motivated development projects, like DAPL, that ignore our treaty rights and risk our water. Creating a second Flint does not make America great again,”Standing Rocks said in the statement.
Earlier, Trump campaigned on promises to increase domestic energy production. Before taking office he said the Dakota pipeline should be completed and that he would revive the C$8 billion ($6.1 billion) Keystone XL project, which was rejected in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama, Reuters reported.
The Dakota Access pipeline was intended to pass through North Dakota’s Lake Oahe, a burial site sacred to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The tribe along with activists voiced concerns the proposed pipeline would destroy the sacred site and threaten the water resources.
Around 564 people were arrested during the protest against pipeline. Police also reportedly used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon against the peaceful protestors.
The US Army Corps of Engineers, pressurised due to the protests, has informed to the protestors in December that the current route for the Dakota Access Pipeline will be denied. The pipeline will not be allowed to cross Lake Oahe and the alternate route will be studied.
