North Dakota To Block Supplies From Pipeline Protesters’ Camp

He further called the executive order “a menacing action meant to cause fear” and “a blatant attempt by the state and local officials to usurp and circumvent federal authority”.

Dalrymple’s “mandatory evacuation” cited the “harsh winter conditions” as reason for the protesters to leave. Snow and wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour (73 kph) were forecast for Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Supporters say the pipeline will have safeguards against leaks, and is a safer way to move oil than trucks and trains, especially after a handful of fiery – and sometimes deadly – derailments of trains carrying North Dakota crude.

During a news conference Saturday at the camp, protest organizers said they will not leave or stop their acts of civil disobedience.

“They don’t need to be anxious about us in the winter”, said Kandi Mossett, from the Indigenous Environmental Network. “We’re all in this together – no one is going to be left in the cold”. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Monday that its order to evacuate the primary protest camp – known as Oceti Sakowin – by December 5 would not include forcibly removing people from the land. He added that first responders would no longer be responsible for providing emergency services to those who remained.

But tribal leader Dave Archambault and other protest organizers made it clear that they planned to stay in the Oceti Sakowin camp – one of three camps near the construction site – which would have been shut down by the encampment.

Col. John Henderson, the Army Corps’ district commander, asked Archambault in a letter to tell members of his tribe, along with supporters there, to move from the property north of the Cannonball River.

But the Corps says it has no plans to forcibly remove anyone.

Jennifer Cook, policy director, said the while the governor says safety is the reason for the evacuation order, it’s contradictory to order the evacuation during a winter storm and to restrict people’s access to food and supplies.

“This is a federal problem and needs to be dealt with by (the Corps)”, Kirchmeier said.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said Kirchmeier is in “an incredibly hard position”. “These people are treating it like it is Burning Man or The Rainbow Gathering”, the protester, identified as Alicia Smith, said.

Henderson said Sunday that while there are no plans for a forcible removal of the estimated 5,000 people occupying the protest camp, people who stay do so at their own risk, subject to enforcement under federal, state or local laws.

The news, which marked a small, but significant victory for the protesters, came just over a week since Morton County Sheriff’s Department deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons, despite below-freezing temperatures in North Dakota. That’s in addition to the $10 million the commission has already authorized. But Kelcy Warren, CEO of pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners, told The Associated Press the company won’t do any rerouting. However, Zent has said the governor’s office has not received such an offer.

Construction of the 1,172 mile pipeline is almost complete except for a small section beneath a reservoir near the encampment.

Falcon has teamed up with the owners of The Mix and Frank to raise money and supplies for Standing Rock this week.

The protests in North Dakota have been ongoing for months over the now intended route of the pipeline, which tribal members said threatened their water supply and sacred land, amounting to corporate encroachment.