The Dakota Access Pipeline is an 1,172-mile-long pipeline made to transport crude oil from Stanley, North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. It is operated on by Dakota Access Pipeline, LLC, and once completed will be operated by Sunoco Logistics Partners, L.P. The pipeline is set to have a pricetag of about $3.8 billion, and will transport around 570,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

The main problem people have with the pipeline is that it goes under the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members and activists alike are protesting because they believe that the pipeline may be a threat towards their clean water supply, as well as a threat to their ancient burial grounds. Construction of the pipeline has already destroyed some burial grounds, though. This leads Recycling Club sponsor and English teacher Libby Reed to say “It shouldn’t be where it is because it could poison the land.” and because it is in this area she also says “The tribe is well within its rights to protest the establishment of the pipeline.”

While Reed and the protestors at Standing Rock have good reason for why the pipeline shouldn’t be built exactly where it is, the companies building the pipeline believe that there is no reason to fear for the water being polluted. The companies building and maintaining the pipeline are using what they believe to be the safest and most environmentally conscious way to manufacture the crude oil pipeline.

Originally the protestors had achieved their goal; the pipeline was halted by the Department of the Army, but the Army Corps of Engineers was still developing an alternate route for the pipeline. The protesters still celebrated their moral victories because of the temporary shut down of the construction with thousands of Native Americans and tribes supporting the cause.

Now though their celebrations may be what’s being halted. With the recently inaugurated President, Donald Trump has signed executive actions to advance approvals of the Dakota Access Pipeline along with the Keystone XL pipeline in order to create more American Jobs. This could trouble protesters, and supporters of the Obama Administration, who put lots of sweat, tears, time, and effort into trying to stop the production of this pipeline. Social Studies teacher Joe Rhodes when asked about Trumps action said “I see both good and bad, I have concerns about the direct damage it could cause to the communities, however I understand that it could benefit the communities through jobs. Time will tell if it is a good or bad decision.”

So with the new Trump Administration, the crude oil debate and protests at Standing Rock will most likely continue for some time. The important goal  though is that the two need to work together to create a safe and possibly alternate way to transport the crude oil past the Standing Rock Indian Reservation without hurting the tribe and its surroundings.