HomeMy WebLinkAbout1200 - DECLARING the City of Boulder's support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline1
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RESOLUTION 1200
A RESOLUTION DECLARING THE CITY OF BOULDER'S SUPPORT FOR THE
STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE'S OPPOSITION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE
WHEREAS, the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is a 1,172 -mile, 30 -inch diameter
pipeline developed by Energy Transfer Partners and its affiliates, which is projected to transport
as much as 470,000 barrels of oil per day, with a capacity as high as 570,000 barrels per day, of
fracked Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois; and
WHEREAS, according to court documents filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the DAPL
would cross countless rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands, including a 1,000 -foot crossing of a
Missouri River reservoir at Lake Oahe -- which opponents claim provides drinking water and
irrigates agricultural land in Midwest communities, serving nearly 10 million people; and
WHEREAS, the planned route is opposed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe because it would
pass over sensitive landscapes including treaty -protected Native American land containing
recognized cultural resources where construction crews have reportedly already destroyed and
desecrated confirmed sacred and historic sites, including burial sites; and
WHEREAS, Boulder is honored to be the home of several prominent Native organizations,
including the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) founded in 1970, which is the largest
nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations,
and individuals nationwide; NARF is coordinating the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's amicus
curiae brief strategy with respect to the DAPL; the University of Colorado School of Law's
American Indian Law Program is coordinating legal assistance for those involved in the protests
against the Dakota Access Pipeline; and
WHEREAS, the Boulder City Council passed Resolution 1190 in 2016 to recognize the
second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day in the City of Boulder, and stating
therein "that harm was done and acknowledge that we have a shared responsibility to forge a
path forward to address the past and continuing harm to the Indigenous People and the land"; and
WHEREAS, the City of Boulder has a long standing policy of inclusion and respect for all
people and believes that the people of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe should have the ability to
protect their lands, people, waters and sacred places from this destructive pipeline; and
WHEREAS, ON December 4, 2016, the United States Army Corps of Engineers concluded that
a decision on whether to authorize the DAPL to cross Lake Oahe at the proposed location merits
additional analysis, more rigorous exploration and evaluation of reasonable siting altematives,
and greater public and tribal participation and comments, and accordingly denied the request for
an easement to cross Lake Oahe based on the current record.
1 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
BOULDER, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT THE CITY:
Section 1. Stands in full support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose member and allies are
3 assembled at the Sacred Stone Camp on and adjacent to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in
North Dakota, where they are peacefully protesting the construction of the Dakota Access
4 Pipeline (DAPL); and
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5 Section 2. The City of Boulder condemns the militarized and disproportionate response to the
Water Protectors
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Section 3. Expresses its gratitude to the United States government for requiring a thorough
7 analysis of the potential impacts of the DAPL and consideration of reasonable alternatives and
additional safeguards to mitigate the risk of harm prior to taking any federal action regarding the
8 DAPL that would harm or destroy the Tribe's ancestral lands, waters and sacred sites; and
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Section 4. Respectfully calls upon the President of the United States to take swift and
10 meaningful action to address the concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, including, but not
limited to, finding an alternate routing for the DAPL that minimizes environmental and social
11 harms to the Tribe's ancestral lands, waters and sacred sites and honors the tribe's legal right to
consultation and consent.
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13 APPROVED this 6th day of December, 2016
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20 ATTEST:
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CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO