Dear Friends of Standing Rock,

Some good news: Victory's Cry: this afternoon the Army Corps of Engineers announced it would not give Energy Transfer Partners the permit to construct the Dakota Access Pipeline under Lake Oahe/MO River. They plan to do more studies and reroute the pipeline. [Below are links to articles and an article from Sierra Club--email/call Pres. Obama to thank his administration for this decision.

HOWEVER, one news account quoted the head of Energy Transfer Partners who said the President Elect would approve it when he begins his term. Sooo, we'll see.

Now, it's a moral victory for Standing Rock. But the bigger concern is our dependence on fossil fuels and having oil and gas pipelines criss-crossing our land and waterways rather than investing in renewable resources.

Native American and other communities across the country continue to deal with similar issues as Standing Rock. This has been a lesson in what can happen when people from all over can come together to say ENOUGH, ALREADY. The Earth and all that is in it is sacred, and WATER IS LIFE ~ Mni Wiconi..

You can google Standing Rock or the Sacred Stones FB page to see some of today's activities from Standing Rock. People there participated in a prayer service and made a huge ring around the Oceti Sakowin Camp.

No news yet on the status of the eviction notice or if people will stay in the camps to make sure the pipeline doesn't go through. But tonight, they are celebrating a well-earned victory, thanks to their resolve, courage, commitment and stance of prayer and non-violence.

Thanks for your being a friend of Standing Rock and Mother Earth, for your care, compassion, and actions to support the Water Protectors.

Ellie

elliestock@aol.com

Standing Rock protesters celebrate as Army Corps of ...

Raw Story - 24 minutes ago

Spontaneous celebrations are erupting in the protest camps and on the Sioux reservation. More on this story as it develops. ...

Standing Rock Protestors Score Win as Army Blocks Dakota ...

Variety - 22 hours ago

The protestors of Standing Rock scored a big victory on Sunday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it would block ...

BREAKING:The Obama administration just announced it won't grant the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Send a thank you message now.

Dear Friends,

History made! The Obama administration just announced that it will not grant the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline! Instead, the Army Corps of Engineers will conduct an environmental review and explore alternate routes for the project, away from the Missouri River crossing which would impact Tribal land and cultural resources.

Take action: Thank the Obama administration for listening to the Water Protectors' call for an environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Under this announcement, Energy Transfer Partners must stop construction of the pipeline on the Standing Rock Sioux's ancestral homelands until an environmental review has been conducted that includes public input.

The fight to reject the Dakota Access Pipeline isn't over and we aren't going to back down until this pipeline is rejected once and for all, but the administration's announcement today ensures Energy Transfer Partners can't continue its assault on the Standing Rock Sioux's ancestral homelands. This couldn't have happened without the Standing Rock Sioux and the Water Protectors standing up for what's right and solidarity from millions of Americans. Sierra Club supporters like you made an unprecedented 20,000 calls and sent 115,000 letters to the White House last month alone on this issue.

Thank the Obama administration for doing the right thing by conducting an environmental review of the dirty and dangerous Dakota Access Pipeline.

Over the past few months, thousands of people and hundreds of Tribes from around the world have traveled to North Dakota to peacefully support the Standing Rock Sioux and oppose this dangerous pipeline. Their prayers and songs were increasingly met by a militarized police force using dogs, water cannons, rubber bullets, pepper spray, concussion grenades, and other tactics designed to intimidate, antagonize and invoke fear. This weekend more than 2,000 veterans traveled to the camps to show their support for Standing Rock and serve as self-proclaimed "human shields."

History has taught us that it's never a question whether a pipeline will spill, rather a question of when, and a comprehensive environmental review will show that this dirty and dangerous project will threaten the safety of every community it cuts through. The 1,168-mile Dakota Access Pipeline, if completed, would carry 450,000 barrels of fracked oil every day through four states. It would cut through communities, farms, sensitive natural areas, wildlife habitat, and tribal lands like the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's ancestral lands. It would also cross under the Missouri River just upstream of the Tribe's drinking water supply, where a spill would mean a serious threat to the Tribe's health, culture, and way of life.

Thank President Obama for hearing the calls of the Standing Rock Sioux and conducting an environmental review of Dakota Access Pipeline.

Thank you for showing your support,

Lena Moffitt
Director, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign