“From this day forward all war between the parties to this agreement shall forever cease.” So begins the Fort Laramie Treaty, which leaders of the Sioux signed in 1868 with the United States government. On January 24th the war threatened to restart—at least in the courts. In one of his first actions in office, Donald Trump ordered swift approval of two pipelines, one of which runs through land which the Standing Rock Sioux in North and South Dakota say is within the boundaries of the Fort Laramie treaty. The tribe vowed to take legal action, claiming it risks soiling their water. It heralds the start of what is likely to be a bitter battle between a pro-oil administration and environmentalists.
The two projects, the Dakota Access Pipeline running 1,200 miles (1,900km) to Illinois, and the Keystone XL covering a similar distance from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, offer a boost to an industry hit by slumping prices and environmental rules in recent years. Both were blocked during the Obama administration.
The first, costing $3.8bn, will carry oil from North Dakota’s Bakken area, an early beneficiary of the shale...Continue reading
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