CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — The Standing Rock Sioux has set up a camp in North Dakota to protest a planned pipeline to carry crude from the Bakken oil fields to Illinois.
The Bismarck Tribune reports the “spirit camp” at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers has been occupied for two weeks.
The tribe opposes the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline planned by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners because it fears a spill could contaminate its drinking water.
“We’re gonna fight them every step of the way. Expect to see a lot of young warriors, a lot of the community leaders saddle up and ride 30 miles to where the camp is today. We’re on the front lines,” said one of the members in an interview with Unicorn Riot.
The company maintains the pipeline will be a safe and cost-effective way to transport oil, and will create jobs and boost the economy.
The proposed 1,130-mile pipeline would pass through North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa on its way to Illinois. Regulators in all states have approved the project, though it still needs federal approval.
