The "Response" from the White House.

Thank you for taking the time to sign this petition using the We the People platform.

On September 9, the Department of Justice, Department of the Army, and Department of the Interior issued a joint statement about ongoing litigation involving the Dakota Access pipeline. Among other things, the statement announced the following:

“The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws. Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time. The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved -- including the pipeline company and its workers -- deserves a clear and timely resolution.”

On October 10, the departments announced that:

“[t]he Army continues to review issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Tribal nations and their members and hopes to conclude its ongoing review soon.”

Consistent with the We the People Terms of Participation, we will not comment on that ongoing review being conducted by the Army.

You may be interested, however, in hearing about some of the broader work being undertaken by the departments on infrastructure-related issues affecting tribal nations.

Last month, the departments announced they were inviting:

“[R]epresentatives from all 567 federally recognized tribes to participate in formal, government-to-government consultations on how federal decision-making on infrastructure projects can better allow for timely and meaningful tribal input.”

This consultation, with sessions scheduled to take place at locations across the country during October and November, is focused on how the federal government can better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure-related decisions and the protection of tribal lands, resources and treaty rights. The sessions also explore whether changes to the existing framework are needed to promote those goals. More information about this process can be found here.

We encourage you to continue to use the We the People platform to petition the Administration to take action on policy issues you care about.

Thank you again for making your voice heard.

So, in line with Obama's half assed promises and general "It's not really my problem" attitude, the White House declines to address this in any meaningful way.

Sadly, Clinton is no better. 

The statement from director of coalitions press Xochitl Hinojosa, who oversees Hispanic, black, and women's media for the Clinton campaign, reads in full:

We received a letter today from representatives of the tribes protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. From the beginning of this campaign, Secretary Clinton has been clear that she thinks all voices should be heard and all views considered in federal infrastructure projects. Now, all of the parties involved—including the federal government, the pipeline company and contractors, the state of North Dakota, and the tribes—need to find a path forward that serves the broadest public interest. As that happens, it's important that on the ground in North Dakota, everyone respects demonstrators' rights to protest peacefully, and workers' rights to do their jobs safely.

 

Jill Stein has openly made her opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline clear, even going so far as to get herself arrested by Morton County for "trespassing." Unfortunately, financial documents freely available on the web suggest that she's invested north of 8 million dollars in big energy and big oil funds. Stein insists this does not affect her stance, and that investing with socially just index funds is just too demanding, despite the evidence otherwise.

And well, Trump has literally invested in Dakota Access Pipeline, so I don't think more needs to be said about him, except that several Native languages have a word to describe those beings who look and act human, yet are not.