Board of County Commissioners passes resolution in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's opposition to Dakota Access Pipeline

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: 

1. Interest in contributing to the efforts and celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day (celebrated on Oct. 10 in Boulder and across the country);
2. Dedication to fostering more community engagement and support for cultural diversity and cultural responsiveness and inclusion; 
3. 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

View Commissioners' Meeting Documents and Records >>