Leonardo DiCaprio protests with Great Sioux Nation to stop Dakota Access Pipeline
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a new project that consists of an approximately 1,172 mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline that will connect North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline will be used to transport crude oil.
The pipeline would cross the Missouri River, which is one of the largest water sources in the U.S., provides drinking water for millions.
The Great Sioux Nation, who live in the region, warn that an oil spill in the river would be detrimental to the water and overall health of their land.
It is always great to see celebrities using their fame and power to give a voice to people who don’t have one. Leonardo DiCaprio has always been on the forefront of celebrity activists.
Last year, Leo raised $40 million at his gala to help protect endangered species, and to help stop pollution of the air and oceans and other environmental challenges. He was even honored by the Clinton Foundation for his outstanding environmental work.
He recently tweeted this in support of the Great Sioux Nation:
Standing w/ the Great Sioux Nation to protect their water & lands. Take a stand: https://t.co/nKKMIe4csA #RezpectOurWater #KeepItInTheGround
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) May 10, 2016
In the tweet, he mentions a Change.org petition, written by 13-year-old Anna Lee Rain YellowHammer on behalf of Standing Rock, a region where the Sioux Nation resides. The petition read as follows:
My friends and I have played in the river since we were little; my great grandparents raised chickens and horses along it. When the pipeline leaks, it will wipe out plants and animals, ruin our drinking water and poison the center of community life for the Standing Rock Sioux.
At the time of the tweet, the petition only had about 46,000 signatures. Today, the petition stands at over 300,000 people.
“Oil companies keep telling us that this is perfectly safe, but we’ve learned that that’s a lie: from 2012-2013 alone, there were 300 oil pipeline breaks in the state of North Dakota,” YellowHammer wrote in her petition. “With such a high chance that this pipeline will leak, I can only guess that the oil industry keeps pushing for it because they don’t care about our health and safety. It’s like they think our lives are more expendable than others.”
The Chicago Tribune reports that a federal appeals court has ordered to halt the construction of a section of the Dakota Access Pipeline so they can have more time to consider the Sioux Tribe’s request to halt the pipeline construction.
While the panel did say that the move “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion,” it is good to see the protests being taken seriously.
So cheers to you Leo and the Great Sioux Nation for taking a stand. We are standing with you.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Leonardo DiCaprio Stands With Great Sioux Nation to Stop Dakota Access Pipeline.” EcoWatch. EcoWatch, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
2. “Jo Ellen Darcy : Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.” Change.org. Change.org, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
3. “Dakota Access Pipeline.” Dakota Access Pipeline. Dakota Access Pipeline, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
4. “Court Halts Construction of Another Section of Protested Dakota Access Oil Pipeline.” Chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune, 17 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
