Help fight the Dakota Access Pipeline and protect Indigenous rights!

Join frontline water protectors and send a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Transportation demanding that they reveal the true threats the Dakota Access Pipeline poses to communities and the environment.

Join frontline water protectors and send a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Transportation demanding that they reveal the true threats the Dakota Access Pipeline poses to communities and the environment.

Photo: KeithTurrill/Alamy

The proposed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) violates Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights and poses a threat to the Missouri River—a crucial water source for the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes as well as for much of the United States.

Last year a federal court ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the environmental impact of the pipeline. This is an important step in the fight to stop this dangerous oil pipeline. The environmental assessment is underway, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Transportation are withholding crucial information from the Tribes and the public examining the effects of a potential oil spill and necessary preparation measures.

The Tribes and the public can’t know the true impact of this pipeline without it.

Help support Indigenous water protectors in their fight against exploitation by the fossil fuel industry and send a letter demanding transparency on the impacts of the Dakota Access Pipeline!

CTA

Your Message

Subject We need to know the true impacts of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Dear Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael L. Connor:

Message Body

I'm writing with great concern regarding the current operation and environmental justice issues posed by the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The pipeline poses a serious ongoing threat to the Missouri River, Lake Oahe, and the health and safety of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. To make matters worse, the pipeline operator wants to double the flow rate, increasing risk and making it even more critical that the Tribe has the relevant reports that can help prepare for the event of a spill.
Currently, reports critical to the Tribe’s preparation for a potential spill are being heavily redacted by the Army Corps at the direction of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
It is essential that emergency planning and pipeline safety information be shared with the Tribe in order for the Tribe to adequately prepare for any spill. The Tribe is not only at significant risk from a spill, but it also serves as a first responder in the event of a spill.
I urge you to please direct PHMSA to immediately release unredacted and up-to-date copies of the: 
* Facility Response Plan, including the worst case discharge
* Geographic Response Plan
* Spill Model and Environmental Receptor Report
* Risk Assessment; the Integrity Management Plan for the Missouri River Crossing
* Operations, Maintenance and Emergencies Manual for the Missouri River crossing
* Surge Analysis and Protection Plan
* Management of Change documentation for the proposed flow increase
* Performance verification test results for DAPL’s leak detection system
Without this information the Tribe cannot adequately prepare for an emergency, and the true environmental impact of this pipeline’s continued operation cannot be assessed by the Tribe or concerned members of the public.

I urge you to take action for transparency, and for the Department of Transportation to work with PHMSA and the Army Corps of Engineers to protect the environmental justice community on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

Thank you,

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