Describe the issues, tensions, and events brought forth in North Dakota as a result of the Energy Transfer Partners pipeline, especially as they relate to civil liberties.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary, but students should broach how the pipeline was controversial be-cause it was planned to go underneath Lake Oahe, a prominent water source and a historical site of importance for the Standing Rock nation. The members of this nation protested through their exercise of their civil liberties of free speech, freedom of the press, and assembling in protest, the protesters aired their grievances with the federal government. They demanded tribal sovereignty, the preservation of sacred places, and water. The government responded by seeking to keep order and to keep construction on schedule, especially after all permitting had been completed in early 2017, resulting in tensions, protests, and ultimately violence before the protest was ended through the state’s use of force.