Author: sparki

BREAKING: Dakota Access Pipeline Construction stopped again in Iowa

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iowaFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BREAKING: Dakota Access Pipeline Construction stopped again

October 14, 2016

CONTACTS  Alex Cohen: 314-971-6304, Ruby Montoya : 602-769-9332, MississippiStand@gmail.com

Keokuk, IA – At approximately noon a water protector, Cameron Kennedy, 27, of Minneapolis locked onto the drilling waste vehicle Dakota Access Pipeline has been using to transport drilling byproduct to an unlined earthen pit near the Des Moines River on Johnson Street Road in Keokuk, Iowa.

Samples from this earthen pit have been taken and are currently being tested to report levels of contamination allowed in an unlined earthen pit per standards of the EPA. This vehicle has been key in DAPL’s drilling underneath the Mississippi River here in Keokuk, Iowa.

“This truck is essential to the operation of the horizontal directional drilling occurring under the Mississippi. When the sludge tank is full, it must be transported and emptied before work continues,” Joe Byson of Colorado said today.

Kennedy locked onto the back frame of the truck. Initially, according to footage obtained, the driver of the truck refused to stop his vehicle. One arrest has been made of another supporter in the area. Yesterday, Krissanna Mara, another water protector, and Jenn Siege, an accredited member of the press were released from Lee County Sheriff’s custody. As of 1:30PM Kennedy is still reported to be locked on, hampering construction of DAPL.

This event continues to be a part of Mississippi Stand, a nonviolent direct action campaign in Keokuk, Iowa with aims to stop the drilling underneath the Mississippi. The camp, known as Mississippi Stand, has been in place since August 31st and was established in solidarity with Standing Rock, a Lakota camp challenging DAPL in North Dakota, and other Native American efforts to keep DAPL from destroying sacred and traditional lands. Workers are boring under the Mississippi river 24 hours a day. About 150 people have been arrested while peacefully protesting at the site to date. Public input was not allowed during planning for the pipeline route and permits were hastily granted without proper environmental studies. There are major community concerns around the safety of the project for the quality of the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

“There is another way, we have the technology, we have the infrastructure, we cannot continue to destroy our resources so that a select few from big oil can profit. We invite others to take a stand and say “no more” to big oil.” Alex Cohen.

Tonight the community in Keokuk, Iowa plans to rally through downtown to inform the public and stand in solidarity with these water protectors across the country. Images available at https://www.facebook.com/MississippiStandCamp/

Iowa Dakota Access Construction Shut Down By Another Water Protector

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iowaIowa Dakota Access Construction Shut Down By Another Water Protector

October 12, 2016

CONTACTS  Alex Cohen: 314-971-6304,  Ruby Montoya : 602-769-9332, MississippiStand@gmail.com

Keokuk, IA – After a string of shutdowns and demonstrations this weekend, another Water Protector shutdown a construction site in Keokuk, Iowa this afternoon. Krissana Mara, 31, of Thailand, arrived as a water protector of Mississippi Stand about a week ago and locked down to an excavator earlier this afternoon at a Dakota Access Pipeline in Keokuk. At approximately 1PM Mara arrived at the construction site. Pipeline workers left the site and police, fire department, and ambulance arrived shortly after.

Press was on the scene and one credentialed member of the press was arrested for trespassing as well. This is the second member of the Press that has been arrested within a week by Lee County Sheriff’s Department.

This direct action follows Mississippi Stand’s stance as a nonviolent direct action to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Mississippi Stand states that it is a nonviolent direct action campaign with aims to stop drilling of the Dakota Access Pipeline through the Mississippi River. Mississippi Stand states that theirs is a strategic location as it is the only known site where Dakota Access is drilling underneath a major aquifer. Opposition to Dakota Access Pipeline continues to grow, as yesterday actress Shailine Woodley was arrested on film while joining water protectors in North Dakota.

Dakota Access Pipeline has obtained additional permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to continue drilling until December 31st. “This was expected, and we are prepared to stand on the right side of history — against big oil and the desecration of our resources until this pipeline is stopped,” said Jim Arenz, a media coordinator at Mississippi Stand.

Mississippi Stand claims their numbers have quadrupled since the eviction notice served last week and that their supporters continue to grow both locally and nationally.

Mississippi Stand plans a rally in downtown Keokuk Friday evening starting at 5:30PM, starting at Victory Park to march up Main Street to the courthouse steps where there will be speakers from the local community talking about the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Footage of the member of the press being arrested can be found on following this link and Mississippi Stand’s Facebook page.

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Sheriffs to Evict Water Protectors from Mississippi Stand Camp near Dakota Access Site

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callinFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 4, 2016

Sheriffs to Evict Water Protectors from Mississippi Stand Camp near Dakota Access Boring Site

CONTACTS  Alex Cohen: 314-971-6304,  Ruby Montoya : 602-769-9332, MississippiStand@gmail.com

Keokuk, IA – Tuesday evening as the sun set over the Mississippi river near Sandusky, Iowa, Suarez, the local Sheriff served an eviction notice to the Mississippi Stand camp where last Saturday over 200 people from local communities and across the country protested peacefully to challenge the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Energy Transfer, the company building the pipeline, is boring under the Mississippi River against the wishes of many local residents.

In the face of such broad support, the Sheriff’s office, Suarez, and county attorney, Micheal P. Short, have decided to take the side of Energy Transfer, which has used eminent domain against local landowners and which threatens sacred and traditional Native territories along the pipeline route.Energy Transfer’s pipeline would move approximatly 470,000 barrels oil per day with capacity to move 570,000 barrels daily from the Bakken fields of North Dakota to be exported out to the gulf. The entire pipeline is projected to create only 40 jobs.

The Sheriff will arrive at the Mississippi Stand camp Thursday, October 6th  in an attempt to evict dozens of campers and local community supporters. Those at Mississippi Stand have vowed to continue taking action to stop pipeline construction as Energy Transfer’s October 31st deadline. With their numbers swelling each day, the camp plans to remain strong and continue its mission in spite of Thursday’s eviction threat and will offer an alternative location for those wishing to support.

The encampment known as Mississippi Stand has been in place since  August 31st and was established in solidarity with Standing Rock, a Lakota camp challenging DAPL in North Dakota, and other Native American efforts to stop construction from destroying sacred and traditional lands. Workers are boring under the Mississippi river 24 hours a day. About 100 people have been arrested while peacefully protesting at the site to date. Public input was not allowed during planning for the pipeline route and permits were hastily granted without proper environmental studies. There are major community concerns around the safety of the project for the quality of the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

Protectors are calling on supporters to come to camp and to call county attorney  Micheal P. Short at 319-524-9590. Camper Jim Arenz, a 54-year-old from Milledgeville, IL has answered the call stating,  “I’m here for my children and my grandchildren. We have a responsibility to leave them a better world than we inherited. More than 30 million people depend on the Mississippi River for drinking water. None of us get the economic benefits of this pipeline, but when it ruptures all of us will pay the cost.”

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400 March, Seven Arrested While Disrupting Philly TD Bank Locations over Pipeline Financing

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standing_rock_rally_sept_2016-20-credit-hanbit-kwonContact: Jed Laucharoen, (917) 291-1910, jedtsada.seas@gmail.com

Over 400 People March in Philly #NoDAPL Solidarity Action

7 Arrested While Disrupting 5 TD Bank Locations over Pipeline Financing

PHILADELPHIA — On Saturday afternoon, over 400 Philadelphia residents marched through Center City in response to a global call for solidarity action against funders of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Thousands of water protectors, led by the Standing Rock Sioux, are camped near pipeline construction in North Dakota. The Camps aim to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would pass beneath the Missouri River, threatening the water supply of millions. The crowd stopped at multiple TD bank locations. Earlier in the day, business was disrupted at 5 TD Bank locations resulting in 7 arrests and several branch closings. TD Bank is one of the top banks financing the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“We in Philly stand with the Standing Rock Sioux today. The Dakota Access Pipeline threatens our Native land, sovereignty and water. We call on TD Bank to stop its funding of the Dakota Access Pipeline and to stand up for Indigenous rights,” said Charlie Under Baggage, Philadelphia resident and citizen of the Oglala Lakota Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation.

td2TD Securities has pledged $365M committed to the project, in revolving credit and project-level loans*. It is also a Coordinating Lead Arranger and Joint Bookrunner of a credit agreement with Dakota Access, LLC.

“We know that only by unifying as so many have done in Bismarck, ND and in cities across the United States, we can stop this pipeline and prevent further injustices against Native communities. When we stand with our allies in communities of color, in environmental justice communities and with Indigenous people worldwide, we are unbreakable.” said Liz Ellis, who is Peoria, and a postdoctoral fellow of early American studies at UPenn.

The march was organized by Philly #NoDAPL Solidarity, a coalition of Native Americans and non-Native allies, who have come together to support the Standing Rock Sioux in their struggle, and accelerate the termination of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics (together, majority owners of Dakota Access, LLC) are also heavily involved locally, in the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery and the Mariner East pipeline. Philly #NoDAPL recognizes the connectedness of these struggles and the need to unify broadly to win.

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