Post #201
Oglala Sioux vow to stop Keystone XL on the ground if Obama won’t say no
In the latest in a series of announcements escalating resistance to oil and gas development in North America, the Oglala Sioux nation and its allies have committed to stopping the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline on their territory if President Barack Obama approves the project. In response to the US State Department’s environmental report that says Keystone wouldn’t increase the country’s carbon emissions, Oglala Sioux president Bryan Brewer, along with organizations Honour the Earth, Owe Aku, and Protect the Sacred, released a statement declaring they will stand with the Lakota people to block the pipeline. The statement, seen by many as a significant step toward approval, sparked solidarity action across the US last Monday. Moccasins on the Ground is a grassroots direct action training organization, and trainer Debra White Plum of the Lakota Sioux nation said the group has been working toward this moment, giving nations the skills they need to defend their land, for years now. Vancouver (BC) Observer, 2-6-14.