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WHEREAS, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is a proposed 30-inch diameter pipeline that would run approximately 1,134 miles from the North Dakota Bakken oil fields to an Illinois refinery; and
WHEREAS, if completed, the DAPL, originally proposed in 2014 by Energy Transfer Partners, would carry close to half a million barrels worth of crude oil daily; and
WHEREAS, the DAPL’s planned route would involve the crossing - either above or below - 209 rivers, creeks, tributaries, or other water sources, including the Missouri River, which services the drinking and agricultural water needs of close to 10 million Midwest residents; and
WHEREAS, multiple articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), endorsed and supported by the United States in 2010, including Articles 11, 12, and 25 codifies the right of indigenous peoples to maintain, protect, and preserve their culture and practices as they relate to “traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories [and] waters;” and
WHEREAS, Article 32 of the UNDRIP notes that governments must work with indigenous peoples “to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water, or other resources;” and
WHEREAS, the proposed DAPL route also includes passage through land considered sacred by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; and
WHEREAS, the need to “protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions” was affirmed in the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978; and
WHEREAS, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had charged that the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who manages permitting related to the necessary easement required for drilling for the DAPL and issued a “Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact,” prior to consulting the Tribe, possibly running afoul of UNDRIP and other laws and agreements; and
WHEREAS, in August of 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council asked that resolutions be issued in support of the Standing Rock Sioux and their efforts toward preservation of their water, agricultural, and cultural resources; and
WHEREAS, on Sunday, December 4, 2016 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the proper permits that would have allowed the DAPL route to travel through the Sioux Tribal land would not be approved, with then-President Barack Obama’s administration indicating its intent to explore alternative routes; and
WHEREAS, on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 through executive action, President Donald Trump indicated his administration’s intent to approve the construction of the DAPL; and
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council’s preservation efforts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh urges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work in conjunction with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council to revisit permitting for the DAPL and encourage an alternative route.