Subject: NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing
We are at a crucial moment in the history of the human race. The decisions you make will have grave impact upon your grandchildren and all future generations. it is with this understanding that I urge you to consider carefully the arguments I am about to make.
The pipeline will leak.
They all do, with devastating effect. Hardly a month goes by without a new pipeline leak. Just this week a pipeline in Saskatchewan Canadian leaked 200,000 liters of crude oil on to native lands. When the Colonial Pipeline burst in Alabama last September it jeopardized the survival of many species of endangered wildlife. Suppose it had been a water supply? What would the impact have been?
Any claims by Energy Transfer Partners that this pipeline won't leak must be seen as shear fantasy, wishful thinking, or outright deception. They cannot possibly guarantee that the DAPL won't leak and won't pose a life threatening danger to everyone who depends on the Missouri River for water. There are no 'contingency plans" that are going to help when oil starts leaking into a river. It is not a question of if it will leak, it is just a question of when.
It is not our land.
The people who are leading the efforts to stop this pipeline have been living there for thousands of years. They somehow survived the genocide we committed in the early years of our nation. They survived the broken treaties. They survived our attempts to wipe out their culture and languages. They survived the desperate poverty they were thrown into by oppressive government programs. And they survived the drugs and alcohol that consumed many of them due to the hopelessness of their situation. So now here they are today, full of hope, pride, and unity, standing before us and saying "There is a better way. We don't have to destroy the earth. It is our responsibility to leave a healthy planet for our grandchildren."
But instead of listening to their wisdom we respond with overwhelming brutality. Hundreds have been arrested on flimsy riot charges. Some are in jail. they have been subjected to attack dogs, water cannons in freezing temperatures, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and more, all while peacefully protesting or engaged in prayer. This is no way for an enlightened nation to respond to an out cry from people who only want to protect their drinking water. If the people in Flint knew what was going to happen to their water and spoke out would we have jailed them to? Would we have mowed them down with water cannons? Shot rubber bullets at them? The brutality of the response to the Water Protectors must weigh in your decision. These are True Americans. They are defending the land that they have occupied for thousands of years. Isn't that what America is all about? Liberty and Justice? Fighting the oppression of a corrupt political and corporate system?
The impact that continuing the DAPL will have on Native Americans would be devastating. They have lost every battle with the US Army and Government. We have taken so much from them. They deserve a victory. The health and pride of our people is worth so much more than the oil, I'm sure you agree.
More oil is the last thing we need.
Even if you ignore the science of climate change as a result of fossil fuel burning, you'd have a hard time denying that Americans are too dependent on their cars to the detriment of all of us. Traffic everywhere is insane. The air in all of our major cities and even in most small communities is terrible. More oil means more cars on the road, more traffic, and more pollution. The impact of more oil on our environment can be seen everywhere.
But if believe the overwhelming evidence and conclusions of the vast majority of climate scientists then your decision is clear. The pipeline must be stopped, and the oil left in the ground if we are to avert a global catastrophe on a scale never before seen. The past three years have set consecutive records as the hottest years ever. Glaciers all over the world are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Islands and costal communities are being flooded with some having to relocate to higher ground. If we continue on our current path we are condemning future generation to a hellish existence, or even possibly the extinction of the human race. Even if you doubt some of these predictions is the risk really worth it? Do we really need the oil that bad?
Fossil fuels are going the way of the dinosaurs.
How much oil do you suppose we have left? We can drill, frack, pump, and pipe like crazy but it's just a matter of time before it's all gone. Why not start preparing now for the future? In fact the oil industry is already on the decline. A world wide oil glut has caused a slow down at the North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields. At the current rate of production DAPL is not even necessary.
The future is in renewable energy resources like wind, solar, and geothermal. This is where the jobs are and this is were we should be investing our resources. The impact of continuing to rely on fossil fuels will be economic collapse when it all runs out and we neglected to develop renewable energy production.
The pipeline will only benefit the corporations.
They like to claim they are creating jobs, but these are only temporary jobs. Once the construction is completed these jobs vanish and very few jobs will remain in the areas affected by the pipeline. Once the oil is flowing it does nothing for the local economy but rather just lines the pockets of those that need it the least. The communities of North Dakota will remain in poverty. This has been the pattern of the oil industry around the world. Take the oil and run, with a devastating impact on local communities.
For these reasons I urge you to do whatever is in your power to make sure this pipeline never gets built, and to take further actions to shut down the Bakken oil fields and leave what remaining oil we have in the ground.
Thank you for your careful consideration of these statements.
Paul Lieberman
Corvallis, OR
