Massive cleanup underway after Dakota Access protesters leave behind environmental mess

[thackney]

Massive cleanup underway after Dakota Access protesters leave behind environmental mess
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/5/massive-cleanup-underway-after-dakota-access-prote/
February 5, 2017

Clean-up crews are racing to clear acres of debris at the largest Dakota Access protest camp before the spring thaw turns the snowy, trash-covered plains into an environmental disaster area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that the camp, located on federal land, would be closed Feb. 22 in order to “prevent injuries and significant environmental damage in the likely event of flooding in this area” at the mouth of the Cannonball River in North Dakota.

“Without proper remediation, debris, trash, and untreated waste will wash into the Cannonball River and Lake Oahe,” the Corps said in its statement.

Those involved in the clean-up effort, led by the Standing Rock Sioux, say it could take weeks for private sanitation companies and volunteers to clear the expanse of abandoned tents, teepees, sleeping bags, blankets, canned food, supplies and just plain garbage littering the Oceti Sakowin camp....

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http://climatechangedispatch.com/dakota-access-protesters-accused-of-destroying-environment/



http://www.nbcnews.com/video/police-sort-through-protest-camp-trash-for-contraband-871455811739



http://www.theamericanmirror.com/photos-fields-trash-left-environmentalists-pipeline-protest/

[rangerrebew]

 Sanitation Crews Search for Dead Bodies Amid Piles of Pipeline Protester Trash
Posted By Lachlan Markay On February 7, 2017 @ 9:43 am In Issues | No Comments

Authorities in North Dakota are working to prevent an environmental catastrophe caused by the massive amounts of trash left behind by anti-oil pipeline protesters, local media report.

State and tribal sanitation crews are rushing to remove piles of waste and debris left over from the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline before weather warms and the mountains of trash turn toxic.
 

Article printed from Washington Free Beacon: http://freebeacon.com

URL to article: http://freebeacon.com/issues/sanitation-crews-search-dead-bodies-amid-piles-pipeline-protester-trash/

[rangerrebew]

The people who left all this trash just can't be the same ones so worried about the damage to the environment the pipeline might cause.

[debrawiest]

They never said they were the LAND protectors. Always refer to themselves as "water protectors".
Riiiiiiight.

[SZonian]

So much for protecting "sacred" lands...

[Idiot]

Massive cleanup underway after Dakota Access protesters leave behind environmental mess
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/5/massive-cleanup-underway-after-dakota-access-prote/
February 5, 2017

Clean-up crews are racing to clear acres of debris at the largest Dakota Access protest camp before the spring thaw turns the snowy, trash-covered plains into an environmental disaster area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that the camp, located on federal land, would be closed Feb. 22 in order to “prevent injuries and significant environmental damage in the likely event of flooding in this area” at the mouth of the Cannonball River in North Dakota.

“Without proper remediation, debris, trash, and untreated waste will wash into the Cannonball River and Lake Oahe,” the Corps said in its statement.

Those involved in the clean-up effort, led by the Standing Rock Sioux, say it could take weeks for private sanitation companies and volunteers to clear the expanse of abandoned tents, teepees, sleeping bags, blankets, canned food, supplies and just plain garbage littering the Oceti Sakowin camp....

- - - -



http://climatechangedispatch.com/dakota-access-protesters-accused-of-destroying-environment/



http://www.nbcnews.com/video/police-sort-through-protest-camp-trash-for-contraband-871455811739



http://www.theamericanmirror.com/photos-fields-trash-left-environmentalists-pipeline-protest/

And there I thought they were there to save the environment not destroy it.   

[GtHawk]

I can't help but think that overall the environment would be much better off if they hauled the protesters to the dump and left the other refuse behind.

[Fishrrman]

The protesters are [mostly] gone.
That's what counts.

The pipeline will go through.
This was much sound and fury, that signified nothing...

[Smokin Joe]

The protesters are [mostly] gone.
That's what counts.

The pipeline will go through.
This was much sound and fury, that signified nothing...

Oh, it signified something.
$22 million plus in law enforcement costs.
A  damaged bridge.
One of the protesters severely damaged her arm. If she keeps it, she'll carry that reminder for the rest of her life.
A million plus in equipment damaged or destroyed by protesters.
Every day, the oil companies, the royalty (mineral rights) holders (usually at 20%), and the State of North Dakota (11.5%) did not get the difference between rail transport costs and pipeline transport costs amounting to roughly $2.4 million dollars (per day, with the pipeline running at 475,000 BOPD. (the anticipated operating volume).
Feeder pipeline projects have been delayed, idling construction crews and putting people out of work.

Less tangibly, the $5/barrel in transport savings could spur more development as it would effectively be an increase in the price of oil actually collected by the oil companies, the mineral royalty owners, and the State of North Dakota, which would mean an increase in activity and more jobs/hours for those still employed.

So, yeah, the assholes who claimed to be "water protectors" (the latest 'reason' for protesting when the word got out the other reasons were, well, bogus) have cost

Tally it up.

147 days at $2.4 million dollars a day (estimated amount does not include costs to contractors) =$352.8 million, of which $70.56 million would have gone to royalty interest holders (often the landowners where oil wells were drilled), and $40.72 million not collected by the State of ND.
$22 million in state and local law enforcement costs.
An estimated 419 million in lost revenue for the pipeline company (gross, for shipping the oil).
And a million in damages to contractor's equipment.

Over 794 million dollars so far...not counting cleanup costs and other less tangible expenses.

[geronl]

Eco-leftists are the most polluting people in America

[Smokin Joe]

Eco-leftists are the most polluting people in America

They only get paid to 'protest', not take out the trash.

[Fishrrman]

Smokin Joe wrote:
"Oh, it signified something.
$22 million plus in law enforcement costs…ect."

You're correct in your tally above, of course.
The delays (under the previous administration) were unavoidable, a "cost of doing business", so to speak.

But... consider...
If hillary had won, there might be no Dakota Access pipeline, except for the abandoned stretches.
And the "water protectors" who want to "leave it in the ground" [fossil fuels] would have won.

The cost for defeating them was high.
But ultimately it became -- victory.

From their viewpoint, the "protests" accomplished nothing, aside from earning them a "protest paycheck" for a few months.

[Smokin Joe]

Smokin Joe wrote:
"Oh, it signified something.
$22 million plus in law enforcement costs…ect."

You're correct in your tally above, of course.
The delays (under the previous administration) were unavoidable, a "cost of doing business", so to speak.

But... consider...
If hillary had won, there might be no Dakota Access pipeline, except for the abandoned stretches.
And the "water protectors" who want to "leave it in the ground" [fossil fuels] would have won.

The cost for defeating them was high.
But ultimately it became -- victory.

From their viewpoint, the "protests" accomplished nothing, aside from earning them a "protest paycheck" for a few months.

North Dakotans were getting plenty fed up. The other side of the protest may well be made manifest in the shortage of locals at the Tribe's two casino/resorts. Often local players will be no small part of the clientele, and frankly, I wouldn't set foot in one of those establishments. After the crap and aggravation, I would think many in that part of the state may feel the same.  Just the introduction of ND HB 1203 http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/documents/17-0351-02000.pdf indicates that the 'protest' went way too far for people here.

BTW, I'm really glad Hillary didn't win, too.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

BTW, I'm really glad Hillary didn't win, too.

I bet more than just you are too.

[XenaLee]

And there I thought they were there to save the environment not destroy it.   

They are there to do whatever Soros, their boss, directs them to do. 

[rangerrebew]

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: ‘Significant Environmental Damage’ Possible from Dakota Pipeline Protest Camps

(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a press release [1] on Feb 3, announcing that Dakota Access Pipeline [2] protest camps must be closed to prevent “injuries and significant environmental damage.”

The Corps issued notices to protestors, informing them that the federal government will shut down their camps, adjacent to North Dakota’s Cannonball River, on Feb. 22. The government must clear the protestors’ trash and debris before the temperature rises in the spring.

“Because of record snowfall and long periods of frigid temperatures,” the press release states, “there is a high potential for flooding at the mouth of the Cannonball River from spring runoff and ice jams.”
 

 
Source URL: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/andrew-eicher/us-army-corps-engineers-significant-environmental-damage-possible-dakota

[debrawiest]

North Dakotans were getting plenty fed up. The other side of the protest may well be made manifest in the shortage of locals at the Tribe's two casino/resorts. Often local players will be no small part of the clientele, and frankly, I wouldn't set foot in one of those establishments. After the crap and aggravation, I would think many in that part of the state may feel the same.  Just the introduction of ND HB 1203 http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/documents/17-0351-02000.pdf indicates that the 'protest' went way too far for people here.

BTW, I'm really glad Hillary didn't win, too.

Bingo! Relations between the citizens of this state and the Standing Rock nation have been severely damaged.  Will take a long, long time to rebuild that.  We didn't do any gambling at the casinos, but occasionally enjoyed some of the entertainment they brought in.  No more.

[Smokin Joe]

Bingo! Relations between the citizens of this state and the Standing Rock nation have been severely damaged.  Will take a long, long time to rebuild that.  We didn't do any gambling at the casinos, but occasionally enjoyed some of the entertainment they brought in.  No more.

If you compare and contrast the attitude of the Three Affiliated Tribes (New Town/Fort Berthold Reservation) with the attitude at Standing Rock, it is stark.
The Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara have oil under their tribal lands and have worked with oil companies to tap that wealth. That isn't saying they haven't skimmed any through commercial vehicle permits for any vehicle used on Tribal Land and requirements for a certain number of Tribal Members as employees on work crews, up to and including drilling rigs, but that is often the case on Tribal Lands, where the Tribe makes the rules.
One group has embraced that development, while still demanding that there be no pollution (a couple of incidents involving mainly salt water have been dealt with), the other group (Standing Rock) who had no oil under their land tried to shut down movement of oil past their lands in an effort to 'cash in'.
I think the whole thing backfired and got out of control, but analysis of the situation will show that the false narratives produced are just that (false), and that some locals profited handsomely off the protest while others picked up the tab in everything from transportation delays to being terrorized, to paying for Law Enforcement (and those are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of overall cost).
In some ways, that typifies the East (no oil)/West (oil) battle over oil revenues at the State Level, with those from non oil-producing counties lining up to get 'their "fair" share' of an economic boom that has strained the infrastructure of a dozen or so counties in the state.
 
In the end, the protest is an exercise in attempted wealth transfer with a very low overall skim rate, collected by a few, which will cost the entire Tribe more in hard feelings and local contempt in the long run, with most of the real problems created by people who are neither indigenous nor local (professional protesters/attention seekers from elsewhere cashing in on the 'big event').

[Fishrrman]

"The Corps issued notices to protestors, informing them that the federal government will shut down their camps, adjacent to North Dakota’s Cannonball River, on Feb. 22. The government must clear the protestors’ trash and debris before the temperature rises in the spring."

Fine.
Let's see if the Corps of Engineers sticks to its guns.

This could be for Trump, what the PATCO (air traffic controllers) struggle was to Reagan.

[Smokin Joe]

We have an unseasonably warm week ahead in the Bismarck, ND area with daytime highs anticipated to be above freezing to the mid 40s through next Wednesday.

With the thaw, the damage may well be done before the camps are abandoned.