Statement from the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners
The Board of County Commissioners today passed a resolution in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. By a unanimous vote, all three commissioners stated their opposition to the pipeline and lent support to the tribe's efforts to block the development of the pipeline.
The Board's message, timing, and proclamation of support is derived from the county's:
- Interest in contributing to the efforts and celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day (celebrated on Oct. 10 in Boulder and across the country);
- Dedication to fostering more community engagement and support for cultural diversity and cultural responsiveness and inclusion;
- Continuing work on oil and gas issues, which includes a commitment to providing the strongest possible protections for public health and the environment.
RESOLUTION 2016-116
A
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE’S OPPOSITION TO THE DAKOTA
ACCESS PIPELINE
Boulder County, Colo. -
WHEREAS,
Boulder County stands in full support of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,
whose members and allies are assembled at the Sacred Stone Camp on
and adjacent to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North
Dakota, where they are holding a peaceful protest of the Dakota
Access Pipeline;
WHEREAS,
the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline would carry as many as 570,000 barrels of
fracked crude oil per day for more than 1,100 miles from the Bakken oil fields
of North Dakota to Illinois, across more than 200 rivers, creeks, and
tributaries including the Missouri River, which not only provides drinking
water, but also water for agricultural irrigation and important riparian
ecosystems throughout the Midwest; and
WHEREAS,
in addition to the environmental hazards associated with construction and
operation of this pipeline, the planned route will pass over sensitive
landscapes including treaty protected land containing recognized cultural
resources where construction crews have already destroyed and desecrated
confirmed sacred and historic sites, including burial sites; and
WHEREAS,
despite deep opposition from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as from farmers,
scientists, environmental advocacy groups, and others along the proposed route,
and without Tribal consultation or meaningful environmental review as required
by federal law, in July 2016 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit
allowing construction of the fracked oil pipeline to move forward; and
WHEREAS,
Boulder County has a long standing policy of inclusion and respect for all
people and we believe that the people of the Standing Rock Tribe should have
the ability to protect their lands, people, waters and sacred places from this
destructive pipeline; and
WHEREAS,
Boulder
County supports the ability for local and tribal governments to regulate land
use and construction projects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the
local population, and prevent and mitigate adverse environmental impacts, and
to protect cultural and historic sites from damage and destruction.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Boulder County Commissioners, do hereby stand
in support of the Indigenous opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline and we
call on all residents of Boulder County to raise awareness about this important
struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice and to support
the Sacred Stones Camp efforts in any way they can, and
That the Boulder County Commissioners oppose the
construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline as a destructive and unnecessary
project that continues our dependence on fossil fuels, will negatively impact
natural resources and the environment and is being forced upon people of the
Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois
without the ability for local communities to provide meaningful input on this
project.
ADOPTED this 11th day of October,
2016. (copy of signed resolution)
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF BOULDER COUNTY
Elise Jones, Chair
Cindy Domenico, Vice Chair
Deb Gardner, Commissioner
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