#WeAreTheArctic

Today is a pretty great day for the Indigenous People of North Dakota. The hearts of all who’ve been supporting #NoDAPL are full. But the fight isn’t over. In 46 days a new administration takes power. An administration that has already threatened to resume construction of the Keystone Pipeline–an administration that left unchecked will defy the executive orders to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

This fight isn’t over. Entire cultures, thousands of years of art and history, basic civil rights, spiritual grounds, wilderness, and more are still being violated on daily basis.

Today construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline has stopped dead in it’s tracks. It will no longer creep forward threatening the future of our nation’s clean waters. Construction workers will no long be able to demolish sacred grounds while we watch as peaceful protesters are iced during prayer.

In the south we haven’t had that victory… yet. The Trans Pecos Pipeline still silently marches towards completion. Passing through some of our last untouched desert ecosystems it won’t be long until the night horizons are lit by distant oil pumping stations. But we can still stop it before the pumps are turned on.

Since first learning of the Keystone Pipeline during an open-topic persuasive speech assignment in college, I’ve been opposed to it. The environmental impact of this pipeline greatly outweighs the gain we’ll get from the little oil we’ll receive from from pumping. While I’m not against further building out country’s infrastructure I am against unethical and unchecked construction of these long lasting monstrosities. Should we let the Keystone Pipeline resume millions of acres of sacred wilderness in Alaska will be destroyed. Wildlife will be put at risk from oil spills, and caribou herds would have their migration paths blocked resulting in unprecedented declines in their populations. Entire cultures would be put at risk.

It’s almost 2017. Renewable energy isn’t out of reach anymore; but, if we continue to allow these pipelines to be built we continue to say renewable energy isn’t a priority, to us or our future generations.

It’s time we all stand up and tell our leaders to say “No” to big oil and ask them to protect what we believe.

Maybe there’s something at stake here we cannot see.