Residents of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation are protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is designed to carry a half a million barrels of oil each day across four states. We talk with two Native Americans from the MSU community who are watching the developments.
An environmental and civil rights battle flaring on the Great Plains is capturing the attention of Native Americans across the country. In recent weeks, violent clashes have erupted on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, situated on the Missouri River in a remote stretch of North Dakota prairie.
Protesters are trying to block the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a nearly $4-billion project designed to carry 500,000 barrels of oil a day across four states. Opponents say the pipeline threatens their health, their lands and their sovereign rights.
Current State talks with Dr. Dylan Miner, director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies at Michigan State University, and Dr. Wenona Singel, an associate professor of law and associate director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at MSU.