[–] TheStapler 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
A clever lawyer would take their case pro bono, hoping that they lose the case but get a huge cash settlement out of it. Just saying. Religious freedoms, huh? A lot of those Natives are probably thinking dollar signs.
[–] perrin 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I posted this somewhere else:
The oil is going to flow and a pipeline might be the safer way to transport it.
This is about 3.5hrs from the Standing Rock protests: story pic
Pipelines have spills as well, but it's weird that no one is protesting trains. Why don't the native people care about trains?
This is 1hr from the protest site and it crosses the same river, yet no protests.
http://www.riverkeeper.org/campaigns/river-ecology/crude-oil-transport/crude-oil-transportation-a-timeline-of-failure/
Are the train companies/investors paying for the protests?
[–] Mr_Dusk 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
I think the primary concern at least from the start was that it was being built over top of their burial grounds. then environmentalists came in and added their reasons for hating it. And the company building it refuses to route around the burial grounds. there's also a lot of cases of police brutality and some even of locking people up in dog cages rather than proper cells if arrested.
So if you put aside all the environmentalism and such there are some real serious grievances here that aren't being addressed. I mean common, would you want to have an oil pipe hovering over your grandmothers grave? No-one wants that, I ean its universally something you dont want happening.
[–] New_Iso 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago (edited ago)
Good points. There is always an economic angle... like Russia invading the Ukraine for natural gas.
I don't think train moguls are paying for this. They'll take the extra business, but a pipeline isn't going to detract that much from their cut. If anything, a pipeline will make shipping costs cheaper (so they'll be more competitive), and it will cut the liability of moving massive amounts of volatile cargo.
EDIT: You've got to remember, rail is more diversified than bulk commodities. They've got to compete with trucks for other cargo, and clogging their rails with oil cars restricts the other cargo which could have been transported instead. They might be getting a good rate right now for coming to big oil's beck-and-call, but in the long run it compounds liability and stagnates their operations.
[–] norse ago
The guy who worked for the companies who are now being protested said its the pipes that are the problem. Sandtar oil literally eats the welding in the pipes and thousands of gallons are spilled every week...