Since there are several other pipelines in the same area and any sacred sites have already been accounted for and dealt with properly, that argument is a non-starter. The Tribe does not live on the lands where the pipeline is located. The only, maybe, valid argument is the possibility of contamination from a leak in the pipeline. Since the pipeline will be a fairly large distance under the river, the risk of contamination from a leak is very minimal.

I have already explained about the Treaty of 1868 and the fact that the northern border of the reservation is well south of the pipeline. The Sioux Nation accepted the terms of that Treaty and the borders of the reservation. An executive order moved the border north to the Cannon Ball River from the 46th parallel in 1873. The illegal Treaty of 1877 did not change the northern border and it remains at Cannon Ball River, still south of the pipeline location. Facts are such pesky things, aren't they.