I am writing to urge you to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) while the court-ordered environmental impact statement is conducted. DAPL is operating without a permit and threatens the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe every day it operates.

The pipeline should have never been built in the first place, and its continued operation is an affront to the Tribe’s sovereignty. It’s unconscionable to expose the Tribe and their water to oil spills without conducting a thorough assessment of the risk. There is no choice but to shut down the pipeline while the Army Corps of Engineers is studying the danger the pipeline poses.

The Army Corps has the authority to stop the flow of oil through the pipeline. The Trump administration ignored the law on this issue as with many others, but I hope the Biden administration will reverse course and make amends. Please respect the law and the Tribe’s sovereignty by shutting down the Dakota Access pipeline while a full environmental impact statement is conducted.