A JUDGE HAS ORDERED A REVIEW OF THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE, AND
THIS IS A SMALL, BUT IMPORTANT VICTORY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN
PROTESTING AT STANDING ROCK, WHO HAVE PROTESTED THE DAKOTA ACCESS
PIPELINE, AND THE POTENTIAL HARM THAT IT WOULD CAUSE TO THE
DRINKING WATER IN THE AREA.
NOW, THE FEDERAL JUDGE RULED THAT THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DID NOT ADEQUATELY CONSIDER THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE'S IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ORDERED THE AGENCY TO REEVALUATE PARTS
OF ITS ANALYSIS.
THE COURT AGREES THAT THE COURT DID NOT ADEQUATELY ANALYZE THE
EFFECTS OF AN OIL SPILL ON FISHING RIGHTS, HUNTING RIGHTS,
OR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, OR TO THE DEGREE WHICH DEPOSITS X
ARE LIKELY TO BE HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL.
THAT IS A DIRECT STATEMENT FROM THE JUDGE, AND HE MAKES A GREAT
POINT THERE, THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WANTED; THAT IS WHAT
OBAMA WANTED, TOWARDS THE END OF HIS SECOND TERM.
THEY WANTED A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT OF THIS PIPELINE.
AND, BY THE WAY, AS SUSPECTED, AS PREDICTED, THERE WERE ALREADY
TWO MAJOR SPILLS WITH THIS PIPELINE.
IN MARCH, IT'S SYSTEMS BUILD MORE THAN 100 GALLONS OF OIL
IN TWO SEPARATE INCIDENTS, AND THEN ALSO, THE LINE LEAK 84
GALLONS IN APRIL.
SO, THE CONCERNS OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS LIVING IN THAT
AREA ARE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS, THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN
SPILLS, AND SO I THINK THE JUDGE TO THE RIGHT THING HERE.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE PIPELINE STARTED PUMPING COMMERCIALLY ON
JUNE 1, AND IT'S JUST, ALREADY THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN
PROBLEMS WITH THE SPILLS, SO WE WILL SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT.
YEAH, IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW THIS GOES, LEGALLY.
IT'S HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE A TRUMP INTERIOR DEPARTMENT, AND A
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOT WINNING THIS BATTLE, BUT A JUDGE
CAN GET IN THE WAY OF A LOT OF THINGS.
AND IT'S FUNNY, THE WORDING OF THIS, HE SAID THE ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLIED, BUT THEY DIDN'T TAKE
INTO EFFECT HOW AN OIL SPILL COULD AFFECT THE TRIBE, OR
FISHING RIGHTS, HUNTING RIGHTS, OR ENVIRONMENT OF JUSTICE, ALL
THOSE THREE WAYS, AND THAT SEEMED TO BE A PRETTY BROAD
RULING, WHILE PRETENDING GAS WORDING IT SO THAT IT IS A
SPECIFIC RULING, BUT GIVING IT A BROAD RULE OF AUTHORITY TO THE
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, GIVING IT MANY THINGS TO INVESTIGATE.
AND THE HEAD, THE STANDING ROCK TRIBAL CHAIRMAN, HE CALLED IT A
MAJOR VICTORY, AND PRAISED THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR,
PAINSTAKINGLY HE SAID, CONSIDERING THE IMPACT OF THE
PIPELINE, AND THEN CRITICIZING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
ODYSSEY ANYTHING THAT SLOWS THIS PIPELINE DOWN IS A VICTORY, BUT
IT COULD BE A MAJOR VICTORY, IF THIS JUDGE WANTS TO SPEND YEARS
ANALYZING WHETHER THOSE THREE OUTCOMES HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW,
WHETHER THOSE THREE CONCERNS HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATELY
ADDRESSED, HE CAN MAKE IT TAKE THAT LONG OF A TIME, BUT IT'S
HARD ñ AGAIN ñ HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT A TRUMP INTERIOR
DEPARTMENT, AND A SOLELY DEDICATED TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
TO ROLLING BACK REGULATIONS AND LETTING BUSINESSES DO WHAT THEY
WANT, HARD FOR ME TO SEE THEM WINNING THIS, BUT IT IS A
GOOD DAY.
IT IS A GOOD DAY.
IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ALSO NEED TO CONDUCT
FURTHER REVIEW ON THIS.
WASN'T THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE ORIGINALLY
REROUTED FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE?
BECAUSE OF ITS POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON
THAT COMMUNITY?
THAT COMMUNITY LARGELY WHITE.
AND SO, NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WE NEED FURTHER REVIEW TO SEE IF
THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THIS
PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, OR CONTEXT.
I JUST THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT COME IN VARIOUS CONTEXTS IN
THE U.S.,
PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE CONSTANTLY FIGHTING FOR ACCESS TO
CLEAN WATER.
IT IS, AND I CONSTANTLY BRING UP THE WORK THAT REUTERS HAS DONE
IN TESTING DRINKING WATER, NOT JUST IN FLINT, MICHIGAN,
BUT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
OBVIOUSLY THE WATER CRISIS IN FLINT, MICHIGAN WAS A BIG DEAL,
AND IT SPARKS SOME OF THE INVESTIGATION THAT REUTERS HAS
DONE, BUT THEY FOUND THAT IN AREAS THAT ARE NOT FROM A LOWER
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, ñ THE DRIPPING WATER IS NOT SAFE.
EVEN IN AREAS IN LOS ANGELES WHERE YOU HAVE SOME OF THE
WEALTHIEST PEOPLE LIVING, THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE
DRINKING WATER, BUT I AGREE WITH YOU, IF YOU WANT TO SHOW
WHERE IT IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE UNSAFE DRINKING WATER, IT
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS THOSE FROM POORER COMMUNITIES,
AND IT'S JUST DISGUSTING.
BY THE WAY, THERE'S ANOTHER COMPONENT OF THIS STORY THAT I
THINK IS IMPORTANT; THE JUDGE ALSO KNOWLEDGE THAT THE FEDERAL
TRUTH ñ THE FEDERAL PERMITS, WHICH WERE ISSUED BY TRUMP
IN JANUARY, BROKE THE LAW IN SOME ASPECTS.
THE PRESIDENT HAD ORDERED THE ARMY COURT TO EXPLOIT PERMITS,
ENABLING THE PIPELINE --
SO, I DIDN'T SEE MUCH COLLABORATION ON IT, BUT I DO
THINK THAT IS AN INTERESTING ANGLE THAT THE JUDGE TOOK.
FOR ME, THE BIGGEST ISSUE WITH TRUMP AGREEING WITH THE FURTHER
CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE PIPELINE IS THE HUGE
CONFLICT OF INTEREST; THE FACT THAT HE IS ñ
LIKE, HE INVESTED IN THIS PROJECT, RIGHT?
THE FACT THAT HE HAS A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO ALLOW THE
PROJECT TO GO THROUGH, AND FOR THE PIPELINE TO, YOU KNOW,
START PUMPING THE OIL.
I DON'T KNOW, THAT CONFLICT OF INTEREST KEEPS COMING UP
OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND I WONDER IF THERE'S EVER
GOING TO BE ANY TITLE CONSEQUENCE FOR IT.
AND FOR ME, THIS ISN'T EVEN IDEOLOGICAL; IF THIS WERE A
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT, I WOULD HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH
IT, BUT ñ BUT FOR SOME REASON HE SEEMS UNTOUCHABLE WHEN IT
COMES TO THIS ISSUE.
ON READING THIS STORY, JUDGES RULING LEADS TO A TEMPORARY
SHUTDOWN ñ THAT MIGHT OPEN THE DOOR FOR LEADING TO AT LEAST A
TEMPORARY SHUTDOWN OF THE DISPUTE OF THE DAKOTA ACCESS
PIPELINE, SURPRISED THE OIL INDUSTRY, THAT IT HAILED
THE PROJECT AS A GAME CHANGER FOR NORTH DAKOTA OIL.
SO, THIS RULING CUT A LOT OF PEOPLE OFF GUARD.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THERE WON'T BE EARTH'S QUICKEST APPEAL.
HOW MUCH DOES TRUMP HATE FEDERAL JUDGES?
AND WHO THOUGHT THAT FEDERAL JUDGES WOULD BE THE HOMEY'S?
RIGHT?
LIKE, I LOVE FEDERAL JUDGES, GO GET THEM.