Despite having celebrated a victory against the corporation who was constructing the Dakota Access Pipeline, water protectors everywhere might be having to head out into the freezing cold once again to defend the sacred land and valuable waterways.
This is because President Donald Trump is expected to go forward with plans to sign an executive order approving the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline, two controversial and highly protested pipelines that threaten the ecosystem in which they exist.
Indications of Trump’s plans came on Monday when Press Secretary Sean Spicer indicated that Trump has great respect for creating jobs and mining the U.S. soil for all the energy it contains.
“I will tell you that areas like the Dakota and Keystone pipeline areas that we can increase jobs, increase economic grown, and tap into America’s energy supply. That’s something that he’s been very clear about.”
Because of President Obama’s late-but-decisive decision on the Dakota Access Pipeline, the nearly completed project was put on an extended hold until a full environmental impact survey could be conducted. Along with the recommendation of the Army Corp of Engineers, the pipeline was urged to build elsewhere, in order to avoid trampling sacred native lands of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, as well as tunneling under a major waterway.
Rather than go forward with that survey, it appears that the corporation merely needed to wait for Trump to enter office. Now, Trump will likely rescind the required survey, give the contractors a conciliatory slap on the ass, and send them off to destroy sacred lands and vital waterways in their quest for U.S.-made energy.
This is especially infuriating when you consider the long-known fact that private citizen Trump was financially invested in the success of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Though he claims to have divested of his business interests, which close friends of his would still stand to benefit from the pipeline’s completion? Methinks quite a few.
The Keystone XL pipeline was effectively killed months ago, and yet President Trump intents to reinvigorate that debate as well, with many arguing a fragile ecosystem will be threatened if the pipeline is completed.
It’s only a few days into this presidency, and already people are having to prepare for the fight of their lives. If it hurt Trump’s feelings to have women marching across the nation, he isn’t going to be happy with how people will respond to this environmental disaster.
