U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick said that the Interior Department’s delay is “untethered to evidence” that would support postponing the original methane regulation. The rule is back in effect for the time being pending a final ruling from the court.
Currently, oil and gas companies must meet the Rule’s requirements to prevent waste of federally and tribal owned natural gas which will also curtail air pollution and emissions.

“The judge’s ruling is another victory for Fort Berthold Protectors of Water & Earth Rights (POWER) against the Trump administration’s long failed attempt to allow operators to willfully pollute our air and waste a finite natural resource. These rules have been established over years of public input and we understand that this administration is willing to use any means necessary to eliminate them at the cost of our health and our environment. The Rule must stay in place to protect communities like mine,” said Lisa DeVille, President of Fort Berthold POWER.

Washington, D.C. – The Indigenous Environmental Network, in coordination with the D.C.- based Rising Hearts Coalition, the Hip Hop Caucus, and Earth Justice, among other Water Protectors rallied today at the U.S. District Courthouse in support of Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne Sioux Tribes, as they seek to end Dakota Access Pipeline. A U.S. district court judge ruled last week that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to complete a thorough environmental review and that the agency unlawfully expedited permits needed to finish the pipeline. In the historic ruling, the judge cited environmental justice arguments made by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its allies that the Corps failed to consider oil spill impacts on treaty fishing and hunting rights and therefore violated environmental laws and treaty rights.

Bemidji, MN – The Indigenous Environmental Network is continuing efforts to keep fossil fuels in the ground — this time calling on supporters to sign a petition calling on big banks to #DefundPipelines. The growing movement is calling on banks, investors, pension funds, and the public officials that manage public money to protect water, Indigenous rights and our climate by defunding DAPL and four proposed new tar sands pipelines. These banks have come under increasing pressure to stop financing human rights abuses and environmental destruction since the #NoDAPL struggle last year.

Bemidji, MN — Today, Indigenous peoples and Water Protectors marked a crucial victory in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to complete a proper environmental examination and that the permits issued for the Dakota Access Pipeline were issued in haste. The judge ordered the agency to reconsider parts of their final environmental analysis. “This is a huge victory for the tribal nations of the Oceti Sakowin, Water Protectors around the world and for the Indigenous leaders who led organizing efforts to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Bemidji, MN – Yesterday, June 1st, Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the parent company of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) announced that DAPL is officially fully operational. This comes just a week after documents were leaked by a TigerSwan contractor revealing that Energy Transfer Partners was involved in using counterterrorist tactics on non-violent Water Protectors. What’s more is that DAPL has already had three oil spills during test runs, this adds to ETP’s already bad track record of being responsible for oil spills, yet taking very little accountability clean spills up or prevent future spills.

Bemidji, MN – Early this morning the Intercept published an article revealing leaked documents that prove Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the parent company of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and law enforcement from five states were using counterterrorist tactics during the time the #NoDAPL camps were operating. A contractor who worked with TigerSwan, the security company hired by ETP, leaked over 100 internal documents revealing that “TigerSwan spearheaded a multifaceted private security operation characterized by sweeping and intrusive surveillance of protesters.” The documents also show that the security company compared the Water Protectors to jihadist fighters.

“The Indigenous Environmental Network is extremely alarmed with President Donald Trump’s announcement of the two Executive Orders setting the stage for approving the dirty energy pipeline projects of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline. “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Sioux Tribes, as sovereign Native nations, were never consulted by Trump or his Administration on this decision that further violates the treaty rights of the Lakota, Nakota, Dakota people. Trump is portraying his true self by joining forces with the darkness of the Black Snake pipelines crossing across the culturally and environmentally rich landscape of the prairie lands of America.

Dallas Goldtooth, Keep it in the Ground Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network said: “As a movement to stop this dirty Bakken oil pipeline, we are demonstrating the inherent power of organized communities and mobilized citizens. We are showing Big Oil and government leaders that we know the power of our capital, and as such we collectively choose to invest in life and water, not death and oil. As first peoples of the land and in defense of our Indigenous rights, we will continue to rise, resist, self-determine and divest until the Dakota Access pipeline is nothing but the defeated aspirations of a Energy Transfer Partners’ dream.”

We, the Indigenous defenders of the land and water within the traditional treaty lands of the Oceti Sakowin, make an urgent appeal to the international community to assist us in facing a human rights crisis. Dakota Access is trying to put a crude oil pipeline under the Missouri River. This is a dire threat to the drinking water and future generations of the Oceti Sakowin who have lived here for generations.