The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Tuesday, October 12, 2016

We implore the Obama Administration to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline as it did the Keystone XL pipeline. Do not give Dakota Access the permit to run a pipeline under the Missouri River or Lake Oahe. We implore you to start a conversation regarding no new energy pipeline infrastructure. Allowing Dakota Access to proceed with the building of this pipeline sends the message that it is acceptable for companies to continue to use Permit 12 to sidestep environmental, tribal and public review processes. This practice started during your administration and it is up to you to make sure it stops. Dakota Access and its private security along with Morton County law enforcement have violated the Civil and Human rights of peaceful protesters and feels justified in using force and intimidation against unarmed and nonviolent water protectors with the state allowing it.

A joint statement issued by DOA, DOJ, and DOI on September 9th and reiterated on October 10th concluded with: “In recent days, we have seen thousands of demonstrators come together peacefully, with support from scores of sovereign tribal governments, to exercise their First Amendment rights and to voice heartfelt concerns about the environment and historic, sacred sites. It is now incumbent on all of us to develop a path forward that serves the broadest PUBLIC interest.” Public interest is not being served when peaceful, unarmed water protectors exercising their first amendment rights are met by militarized police with swat vehicles and automatic weapons and arrest.

Photos and video show Dakota Access Security using attack dogs and pepper spray on men, women and children who were astonished to find Dakota Access bulldozing their sacred land on a holiday weekend. Dakota Access has also tried to intimidate the peaceful camps by flying a helicopter over them at least twice a day. It seems the veterans at the camp are particularly bothered by this as it brings them back to their time in military combat fighting for our country. Is this what the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior meant by “serving the broadest public interest”? On October 10th, the world witnessed live streaming of Morton County Law Enforcement in riot gear again show up at a peaceful prayer ceremony and arresting 27 people. The arrests and harassment occur daily.

Dakota Access Surreptitiously Circumventing Lawful Procedure using Permit 12
“Like the southern leg of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline and Enbridge's Flanagan South pipelines, the Army Corps and Dakota Access LLC by extension utilized Nationwide Permit 12 as an end-run around a more vigorous and NEPA-oriented environmental review.” "This fast-track permitting process is used to bypass more rigorous environmental and public review for major pipeline infrastructure projects by treating them as smaller projects." according to Steve Horn, Center for Media and Democracy.

Congress did not intend the NWP program to be used to streamline major infrastructure projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline. It seems the Whooping Crane population was given more due diligence that the Native Americans were. The original route was supposed to run near Bismarck. When citizens there were concerned about the pipeline being too close to their water source, Dakota Access decided to fast track it through Native American water sources.

Mr. Horn states, "Using NWP 12 to permit major pipeline projects in a quiet and less transparent manner made its debut in the Obama White House. However, it remains unclear whether its use, or the somewhat contradictory NEPA guidelines from CEQ, will ultimately shape Obama’s climate legacy in the years to come."

Again, we implore the Obama Administration shut down this pipeline as it did the Keystone XL pipeline. Do not allow Dakota Access to proceed with the building of this pipeline by using Permit 12 to sidestep environmental, tribal and public review processes. Do not allow Dakota Access and its private security along with Morton County law enforcement to continue to violate the Civil and Human rights of peaceful water protectors exercising their first amendment rights by using force and intimidation against unarmed and nonviolent citizens. Climate change has been a major theme of your presidency. Please make no new energy infrastructure a part of the conversation. Enough is enough.

Respectfully,

Concerned Citizens of The United States of America