It’s pretty obvious by now that “Progressives” only call themselves that because the label has a positive, affirming ring to it (after all – who wants to be regressive?). But when it comes to moving forward, all they really want to do is radically transform society by advancing their utopian, soul-sucking agenda. That’s their “progress.” In terms of what the word used to mean; new technology, innovation, improved productivity, and yes, increased prosperity, they would just as soon we return to the pre-industrial, horse and buggy days.
 
So since they are in truth anti-progress, various leftie types including tree-hugging, earth-firsters, social-justice and climate justice(?) warriors, general malcontents and even communists, all rallied behind the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Yesterday the Obama administration suddenly reversed itself on their prior approval of the project, probably caving in to activists’ demands, denying a government permit for the pipeline in southern North Dakota ~

The Army Corps of Engineers earlier this year approved easement of the pipeline, before activists swarmed the area. It wasn’t until the protesters, who have not been models of environmental quality themselves, began raising a ruckus that the government backtracked.

The mainstream media has largely ignored the the DAPL story so I did quite a bit of research to learn the facts about the suddenly contentious issue. Here are the key points:
 

• Energy Transfer, a Texas-based company, is building a 1,172 mile-long underground crude oil pipeline designed to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day (with a growth potential up to 570,000 barrels per day) from the Bakken/Three Forks formations in North Dakota to a terminus near Patoka, Illinois.

• in the U.S. there are 190,000 miles of pipelines that carry crude oil and liquid petroleum products across the country
• A study based on 10 years of data in Canada by the Frasier Institute found that transporting oil and natural gas through pipelines was 4.5 times safer than by rail after adjusting for the volume and distance
• the project has been underway for 3 years and is over 80% complete
• it’s estimated that the pipeline will generate between 8,000 and 12,000 jobs, and $156 million in tax revenue
• the majority of the route (99%) is on private land

 
What’s currently under dispute (beyond the Left’s general anti-fossil fuel obsession) is an area north of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota ~

Native Americans oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline on environmental and cultural grounds. They are concerned it will both damage their reservation’s water supply and violate the sanctity their land.

However, most of the pipeline route is being built on private land, and will avoid cutting through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. The pipeline route is being built north of the reservation. Although the land is privately owned, the tribe considers the territory part of its ancestral land.

Source: Conservative Review

One critical piece of information that’s missing from much of the coverage on DAPL is the fact that for two years the Standing Rock Sioux refused to participate with the best efforts of the U.S. Corps of Engineers to discuss concerns. Behind the scenes it’s pretty clear that it’s really the radical greens who pushed the tribe to protest at the 11th hour ~

Given that the legal issue at play is whether the U.S. Army Corps sufficiently consulted with the Standing Rock Sioux regarding historical artifacts and other issues of cultural significance, it is perhaps surprising that the tribe is being represented by EarthJustice. You might be asking yourself: why is an environmental special interest litigating a statute that deals with preserving Native American history?

The answer, of course, is that the greens will use any means necessary to achieve their goal of “keeping it in the ground.” Their “solidarity” with the Standing Rock Sioux is a sham pretense for their real purpose: misusing the law to advance their climate agenda.

Yesterday, CNN reported that not all Standing Rock Sioux oppose the pipeline (emphasis added):

[Robert Fool Bear Sr., district chairman of Cannon Ball] has had it with the protesters. He says that more than two years ago, when members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe could have attended hearings to make their concerns known, they didn’t care. Now, suddenly, the crowds are out of control, and he fears it’s just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

Despite his unfortunate name, Mr. Fool Bear Sr. is exactly right about the crowds being out of control. I’m not sure if they’ve dispersed in the wake of yesterday’s announcement but the mob hasn’t exactly been models of responsible environmentalism as the Washington Times was reporting just last week ~

In the name of saving the environment, thousands of green activists fighting to stop the Dakota Access pipeline are making a huge mess.

Those familiar with the camps near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, increasingly are distressed over the pits of human waste and garbage pockmarking the formerly pristine prairie revered by the Standing Rock Sioux as sacred ancestral land.

Rob Keller, spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, said the protesters are “saying one thing and doing another” when it comes to safeguarding the environment.

“We’ve seen pictures of trenches and the garbage thrown in there. So that’s protecting the land?” Mr. Keller said. “And then the snow came in, and I’m sure it’s just a muddy mess now, because that’s river-bottom water, which is silt. It will be a mess.”

Even Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II, who has urged protesters to come “stand with Standing Rock” against the pipeline, is disgusted with how the environmental activists living in the camps have treated the federal property.

Is this what the Left calls “progress?” I don’t know about you but I prefer indoor plumbing. And affordable energy. And jobs for Americans. Contrary to what the enviro-activists want us to believe, none of those things are mutually exclusive with clean land, water and air.
 
The incoming Trump administration can reverse this ridiculous decision of Obama’s – along with the rest of this president’s misguided, anti-energy regulations. Let’s hope they do.

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Related:
The Real Dakota Access Pipeline Victim Is the Construction Company
Obama Admin Blocks Dakota Access Pipeline Months After Approving It ~

Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said the Corps would not approve the easement based on the need to “explore alternate routes” for the pipeline. It’s a stunning reversal from July 2016, when the Corps approved the easement for the project […]

“This purely political decision flies in the face of common sense and the rule of law,” Craig Stevens, spokesperson for the Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now Coalition, said in a statement […]

“There is no reasonable logical, factual, environmental, or scientific reason for this not to be issued — in fact the Army Corps of Engineers had already recommended the approval of the easement,” Stevens said.

Ryan blasts decision to block Dakota Access pipeline route
Leading Pro-Palestine Communist Trains Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters

Update: 12-6-16 ~ Added ➡ To Kill a Pipeline — Again ~ Excellent recap of the entire DAPL controversy from Rich Lowry