Dakota Pipeline: Army Corps orders protesters out
Story highlights
- Army Corps of Engineers gives protesters December 5 deadline to move
- Tribal leader: "Our resolve to protect our water is stronger than ever"
(CNN)A new confrontation is brewing over the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Protesters
fighting pipeline construction must vacate property near the Cannonball
River in North Dakota -- the location of a large campsite for
demonstrators -- by December 5 or face arrest, the Army Corps of
Engineers said Friday.
"This
decision is necessary to protect the general public from the violent
confrontation between protestors and law enforcement officials that have
occurred in this area, and to prevent death, illness, or serious injury
to inhabitants of encampments due to the harsh North Dakota winter
conditions," Col. John Henderson of the Corps said in a letter to the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe leader.
Tribal Chairman Cave Archambault II issued a statement blasting the Corps, but didn't say exactly how the tribe would respond.
Police clash with Dakota pipeline protesters 01:42
"Our
Tribe is deeply disappointed in this decision by the United States, but
our resolve to protect our water is stronger than ever," he said. "The
best way to protect people during the winter, and reduce the risk of
conflict between water protectors and militarized police, is to deny the
easement for the Oahe crossing, and deny it now."
The order comes five days after a violent protest
flared as protesters tried to cross the Backwater Bridge and go north
on Highway 1806, authorities said. The Morton County Sheriff's Office
said protesters set fires while officers tried to disperse the crowds
with tear gas, rubber bullets and water sprayed from hoses attached to
fire engines. Temperatures were below freezing that night.
Actor Mark Ruffalo protests with tribe in North Dakota 01:03
The
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says construction of the pipeline -- which is
currently slated to run under the Missouri River -- could affect its
drinking water supply and put communities living downstream "at risk for
contamination by crude oil leaks and spills."
Protesters
say the pipeline will threaten the environment and destroy Native
American burial sites, prayer sites and culturally significant
artifacts.
Multiple
groups have joined the protests over the months. Activists have
destroyed construction equipment as part of their protests, authorities
say. More than 500 people have been arrested in the last month, the
Morton County Sheriff's Office says.
On
Friday, 33 anti-pipeline protesters were arrested and charged with
criminal trespass after about 100 of them formed a prayer circle inside a
Bismark mall, police said.
Henderson
said protesters can relocate to a "free speech zone" south of the
river. He stressed public safety, saying it would be difficult for
emergency medical services, firefighters and police to respond to calls
coming from the campsite. Protesters have set up tents and kitchens on
the property for more than a month.
Built on sacred land: 'It's going to be a battle' 02:16
"I
do not take this action lightly," Henderson wrote. He said anybody
found on the land north of the Cannonball River after December 5 "will
be considered trespassing and may be subject to prosecution under
federal, state, and local laws."
Archambault urged the public to ask President Obama and the Corps to change the pipeline route.
"It
is both unfortunate and disrespectful that this announcement comes the
day after this country celebrates Thanksgiving -- a historic exchange of
goodwill between Native Americans and the first immigrants from
Europe," he wrote. "Although the news is saddening, it is not at all
surprising given the last 500 years of the mistreatment of our people."
The
proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which is set to cost $3.7 billion,
would start in North Dakota, stretch across parts of South Dakota and
Iowa, and end in southern Illinois. If completed, the pipeline would
allow crude oil to be transported to oil refineries along the Eastern
Seaboard. Construction has stalled as the Army Corps of Engineers
engages in talks with Native American leaders.
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