Faith groups express Dakota Access Pipeline opposition to Obama
By Brian Roewe | Nov. 18, 2016
A letter from 30-plus faith leaders and several more religious organizations across the country urges President Barack Obama to put “an immediate halt” on construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and to intercede in increasingly contentious confrontations between opponents of the project and local law enforcement.
The faith coalition said they and their congregations stood in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and 200 Native American tribes that have raised opposition to the pipeline being constructed by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners. The tribes claim the $3.8 billion project endangers land in North Dakota they view as sacred, as well as their primary water source, the Missouri River.
Their letter, released Friday, re-raised concerns made by the Standing Rock Sioux and their supporters: Namely, that the pipeline’s approval occurred without adequate tribal consultation, sidestepped procedural steps and also violated aspects of the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and various treaties with Native Americans. They also took “great alarm with the increased militarization” in response to the tribe and their supporters, who call themselves water protectors.
“As leaders from a broad range of religious traditions we recognize that the religious freedom of Indigenous Peoples involves the safeguarding of the traditional lands that are the wellsprings of their cultures and spiritual ways of life. We see the protection of sacred lands and the resources located on these parcels of our common planet as one of the most important steps in honoring native peoples and their respective religions.
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/faith-groups-express-dakota-access-pipeline-opposition-obama
http://www.centerforearthethics.org/standing-rock-sioux/statements-of-support/text/Interfaith-Appeal-for-Justice-at-Standing-Rock-1.pdf