We call on the Army Corp of Engineers, EPA, Justice Department, the Governor of North Dakota and law enforcement to uphold existing law requiring the registered Environmental Impact Statement to be properly completed before further drilling takes place, and to respect the rights of the Lakota people and their allies to peaceful, prayerful Freedom of Speech on Tribal Lands.
Why is this important?
The Army Corp of Engineers have given the Water Protectors only until the morning of February 22 to clear the camp or be forcibly removed. The cleanup cannot be completed in the timeframe allowed, thereby criminalizing water protectors who are working hard to clear the land. The failure to follow the legal process requiring an Environmental Impact Statement for DAPL to build this pipeline is an anti-democratic precedent that threatens the safety of all Americans.
