President Trump issued memorandums Jan. 24 to push ahead construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline. The memorandums direct the Army Corp of Engineers to expedite the issuance of an easement for crossing Lake Oahe and to rescind the Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

Both of these pipelines endanger the country’s water supply and land resources. The Dakota Access pipeline in particular is in violation of the treaty rights and sovereignty of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota people. Standing Rock has been the site of so far an eight-month-long encampment, prayers and protests against the pipeline.

Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said, “Americans know this pipeline was unfairly rerouted towards our nation and without our consent. The existing pipeline route risks infringing on our treaty rights, contaminating our water and the water of 17 million Americans downstream.”

Archambault said Trump’s decision appears to be a political payback. “By granting the easement, Trump is risking our treaty rights and water supply to benefit his wealthy contributors and friends at DAPL,” he said. “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.”

#NoDAPL activists are calling for local mass protests in support of indigenous rights, for clean water and clean energy, and against Trump’s memorandums.

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