Rule of law? Yeah, right. Feds Admit They Withheld Key Documents from Standing Rock Sioux.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purposefully withheld key studies that could have helped the tribe evaluate the risks [of the DAPL]. One report modeled damage from potential spills; another weighed the likelihood of spills; a third compared alternative routes and discussed the environmental justice concerns raised by the project. The revelation highlights the federal government’s perception of its limited responsibility to consult with tribes even on matters that could threaten its welfare.

New video of the militarized, fortified blockade of a public highway near Cannonball was published on December 11. The vid below is 39 minutes long, but you should watch at least the first 15 minutes. In addition to the concrete barriers that were dropped onto the bridge several weeks ago, new coils of razor wire have been added, and the razor wire now extends hundreds of yards in both directions perpendicular to the bridge and also up the hill on both sides.

Drone footage (2:20) from December 9 shows construction continuing on the DAPL. It is clear that Energy Transfer Partners is determined to get this thing built, despite court rulings, despite not having a permit to drill, despite the weather.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H29qvq4FB50&feature=youtu.be]

1. Send money. The Oceti Sakowin camp has been really stretched to the limit, first with the influx of veterans and other folks last weekend, and now dealing with the intense weather. Delivery trucks are having a hard time getting through, so donations of money are the best right now.

Less than 200 miles away from Standing Rock, another pipeline has broken and is dumping oil into someone's water (my bold in quote below)

A leak from a six-inch pipeline prompted the shutdown. The 783-mile pipeline transports crude oil in the Williston Basin of western North Dakota and eastern Montana, according to the company website.
It is not the first time the Bell Fourche Pipeline has had a spill.
According to records from US Department of Transportation, the company has had 10 reported spills over the past five years. Those spills accounted for the loss of nearly 5,000 barrels of oil and caused $2.26 million in property damage.

Yesterday we decided to brave the cold and ride our bikes to yoga. Cold is relative of course, was up to 40F with a wind. Thinking about the Water Protectors spurred us on, up there in North Dakota where cold is damn cold.

On December 5, two masked men used their vehicles to block a car with two water protectors inside and then verbally assaulted and threatened them with violence. One of the attackers then chased another man, who was filming the encounter. The two videos below are two different views, one from inside the car, the other from outside the car. Warning: violent language and aggressive threats (each vid is 2-3 mins). I can't seem to embed the FB video, but the first link below is from inside the car.
**Edited: I found a Youtube version of the video from inside the car
https://www.facebook.com/100008607349356/videos/vb.100008607349356/16171...[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kfw6yxZRrs]

For the moment, the Dakota Access Pipeline has legally been delayed, but there are two important things to remember, in my opinion. First, Energy Transfer Partners and its investors have no intention of complying with the Army Corps of Engineers. Second, there are hundreds of pipelines and other extractive industries crisscrossing this country, all of which threaten indigenous lands, clean water, and air quality.

Is it over? I hope so, but I'm afraid not...