Mounds of Trash Left Behind by Environmentalists as Camps are Cleared

Wednesday, February 22, was set as the deadline for protestors to leave one of the largest camps near the Dakota Pipeline that was on federal land. Although many left early there were still some that decided to stay behind, which in turn led to their arrest as reported by NPR’s Rebecca Hersher.

The main purpose of these camps was to try to halt the progression and completion of the Dakota Pipeline due to worries that it would contaminate the drinking water for that area. This stems from the fact that part of the pipeline will be run, “under a section of the Missouri River known as Lake Oahe,” as Hersher stated in her article.

However what people aren’t discussing is all the trash and debris left behind by the protestors. We are told they’re environmentalists, which by definition tells us is, “a person who has a specially strong interest in or knowledge of the natural environment, and who wants to preserve it and prevent damage to it.” So it begs the question why these environmentalists would leave so much trash and debris behind?

Time’s Blake Nicholson and James MacPherson talked about how a massive cleanup has been in progress for weeks, starting with protestors and now being taken over by Army Corps. However, my question is why wasn’t this debris taken away step by step as each protestor left? Yes, some stayed to help clean up but to the many that left without cleaning up and claim to be environmentalists, now that is quite the double standard. They’re all concerned about making sure the pipeline doesn’t contaminate the water, but they don’t seem to be worried about the contamination from their left behind trash and debris that may be carried into drinking water sources when it rains.

(view images on NPR)

Dakota Pipeline gives Environmentalists an Excuse to Protest

Controversy has surrounded the completion of the Dakota pipeline that stretches from North Dakota to Illinois. This pipeline was meant to help transport crude oil more efficiently and help decrease the cost of oil. However, the last bit of the pipeline that has yet to be finished and is planned to be built through property just north of Standing Rock Sioux Tribes land.

BBC News reported that the controversy stems around the fact that the Sioux Tribe says, “the government took this land from them illegally in an 1868 treaty.” The Sioux Tribe has also “argued that the project would contaminate drinking water and damage sacred burial sites,” in BBC News’ report.

This isn’t the only thing halting the pipeline though. The Washington Post’s Andrew Cullen stated in his article, “Environmentalists are allying themselves with Native Americans.” It seems to me as if the environmentalists and activists are using the Native American’s fight as an excuse to push their own agenda. In his article Cullen discusses
the fact that these environmentalists have stopped lobbying the government and have taken it upon themselves to stop progress. They want to stop energy companies and the transportation of fossil fuels that the government is trying achieve for a number of reasons. In their minds, the environmentalists, this issue is very narrowly defined and it seems like if it isn’t their way of clean fuel and energy then it shouldn’t happen at all regardless of other considerations.

(Photo courtesy of CreativeCommon.com with open copyright)