
- Details
- By Darren Thompson
CANNONBALL, N.D. — On Tuesday, several dozen youth from Standing Rock and Cheyenne River ran 93 miles from Timber Lake, S.D. to Cannonball River, N.D., adjacent to the Oceti Sakowin camp location just beyond the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, in sub-zero temperature to continue to pressure President Joe Biden to end the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“The youth came up with the idea to organize a run because of President Biden’s recent decision to deny the permits for the Keystone XL Pipeline,” said Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective co-founder TaŠina Sapa Win to Native News Online. “To see youth as young as 9 years old running for clean water brought tears to my eyes and President Biden cannot simply ignore the voices of our youth to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline.”
After the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 without a comprehensive environmental review, a group of Lakota and Dakota youth organized a run from the Cannonball River in Cannonball to the district office of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha, Neb. — more than 500 miles away.
Construction on the pipeline began immediately in all four states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois — so, by the time youth runners arrived in Omaha they decided to continue their run to Washington, D.C., to stop construction of the pipeline for a more thorough environmental review.
“We ran for water just as we did more than four years ago,” said Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective co-founder Joseph White Eyes in a press release. “President Biden has the opportunity to do right by Indigenous communities and must shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline and Line 3.”
On July 6, 2020, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline closed within 30 days while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts a more extensive environmental review than the original permit that allowed the transfer of oil near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation more than four years ago. The process could take more than a year.
However, on August 6, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with pipeline owner Energy Transfer to keep the oil flowing, saying a lower court judge “did not make the findings necessary for injunctive relief.”
The pipeline holds about 5 million barrels of oil when full.
The $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline crosses beneath the Missouri River, just north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, where the tribe draws its water from. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has concerns about pollution. The company, meanwhile, maintains the line is safe.
A hearing was scheduled Thursday to determine whether or not to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, but the U.S. Army Corps requested a two-month delay until April 9 yesterday. A
On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested a two-month delay until April 9 to decide whether to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg agreed to postpone a Feb. 10 court hearing until April 9 in a move that could give the Biden administration more time to consider how it can either end or stop the pipeline, at least temporarily, for a more stringent, court-ordered Environmental Impact Statement review. That could easily extend into 2022.
Pressure continues to pile up for President Biden and his administration to end the Dakota Access Pipeline. On Monday, Feb. 8, several celebrities and Indigenous leaders signed a letter addressing the president’s inaction to end the pipeline. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have yet to publicly comment on the pipeline.
Signatories of the letter included actors Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Chris Hemsworth, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, Ryan Reynolds and Shailene Woodley, musicians Cher and Cyndi Lauper, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the pipeline is operating illegally and gave your Administration the authority to shut down the pipeline,” the letter said.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Pierite Hosts Roundtable with Tribal Leaders and Trump Administration Officials
$38 Million in Cobell Settlement Funds Are Still Available
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher