BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Latest on the legal challenges and coordination of the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline (all times local):

Hundreds of people have gathered in three states in a show of solidarity with protesters trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

The Omaha World-Herald reports members of four Nebraska Native American tribes participated in a demonstration in downtown Omaha against the pipeline Thursday evening outside the offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which granted permits for the project.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, hundreds gathered for an evening of speeches, dancing and chants of, “Water is life,” according to the Tulsa World. Several hundred marchers also rallied in Denver.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has sued to try to stop the $3.8 billion project, and the fight has drawn thousands of protesters to a construction site in North Dakota in recent weeks.

A federal judge is set to rule Friday on the tribe’s request to temporarily stop construction near its reservation.

The Yankton Sioux Tribe in southern South Dakota has sued federal regulators for approving permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

The tribe filed the lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issued permits for the project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also a defendant.

The lawsuit, which asks that the Corps-issued permits be vacated, says the pipeline’s route passes through the tribe’s treaty lands. It says construction activities in that area will “destroy sites of enormous cultural importance,” causing “injury” to the tribe on a cultural, spiritual and historical level.

The Corps did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday evening.

The lawsuit was filed ahead of a federal judge’s impending ruling on a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to stop the four-state pipeline.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple is activating the North Dakota National Guard ahead of a federal judge’s impending ruling on a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to stop the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline.

Dalrymple says a handful of Guard members will help provide security at traffic checkpoints near the site of a large protest.

Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, the head of the Guard, says another 100 Guard members will be on standby if needed to respond to any incidents.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is expected to rule by Friday on the tribe’s request to temporarily stop construction on the Dakota Access pipeline.

The tribe has been leading a protest for weeks at a site where the route passes near its reservation near the North Dakota-South Dakota border. The protest has included tense confrontations at times, and violence broke out Saturday between private security guards and protesters.

North Dakota’s chief archaeologist plans to inspect an area along the route of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline where Standing Rock Sioux officials say they’ve identified cultural artifacts.

Paul Picha (PEE’-kuh) told The Associated Press that the trip likely won’t happen until next week. If any artifacts are found, pipeline work would cease.

Picha says state officials earlier surveyed the route, but not the disputed site, which is on private land west of State Highway 1806.

Last weekend, tribal officials said crews bulldozed several sites of “significant cultural and historic value” in that area, which Texas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners denies.

A federal judge allowed construction to continue there earlier this week, but is expected to rule by Friday on the tribe’s lawsuit challenging federal permits.

The pipeline starts in western North Dakota and crosses through South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.</s>WASHINGTON — A federal judge has denied the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline while the tribe's lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proceeds.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied the injunction in a ruling issued Friday, Sept. 9. The parties are scheduled to meet for a status conference on Sept. 16.

While the ruling has been anxiously awaited by all parties, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said this week the ruling should not be considered the end.

Archambault has said the tribe would appeal if the request for an injunction was denied and continue looking for other legal options to fight the pipeline.

"It's the beginning of a continuing legal battle," Archambault said Thursday while speaking to pipeline opponents who are camping north of the reservation.

The $3.8 billion pipeline will carry 450,000 barrels of crude oil each day from North Dakota to Illinois. The tribe sued the corps over its permit for the Missouri River crossing, arguing the federal agency failed to properly consult the tribe. Tribal leaders say the pipeline will destroy sacred sites and threatens the reservation's water supply.

The corps argues in court records it "followed a robust tribal consultation process" and said Standing Rock withdrew from a scheduled site visit of the proposed Lake Oahe crossing, a dammed section of the Missouri River.

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple activated the North Dakota National Guard Thursday in anticipation of the ruling. About a dozen Guard members are manning a traffic information point on State Highway 1806 to free up law enforcement to have a visible presence near the protest site.

A protest is planned at the North Dakota Capitol from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday afternoon.</s>Protesters demonstrate against the Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota on Sept. 9, 2016.

ANDREW CULLEN / Reuters</s>A federal judge has denied an attempt to halt construction of a controversial $3.8bn oil pipeline that has been fiercely opposed by a Native American tribe that claims the project threatens its water supply and risks destroying cultural heritage.



Judge James Boasberg of the US district court ruled that the US Army Corps of Engineers “likely complied” with National Historic Preservation Act by permitting the 1,170-mile Dakota Access pipeline, which will take oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

In rejecting a request by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to halt construction of the pipeline, Boasberg wrote: “This court does not lightly countenance any depredation of lands that hold significance to the Standing Rock Sioux.

“Aware of the indignities visited upon the tribe over the last centuries, the court scrutinizes the permitting process here with particular care. Having done so, the court must nonetheless conclude that the tribe has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here.”

Despite the ruling in its favor, the federal government said it would halt pipeline work that occurs on federal land near Lake Oahe until it “can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions”.

In a joint statement, the Department of Interior, the Department of Justice and US Army Corps of Engineers said: “Important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain.

“The army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved – including the pipeline company and its workers – deserves a clear and timely resolution. In the interim, we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe. We urge everyone involved in protest or pipeline activities to adhere to the principles of non-violence.”



The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has waged a vociferous protest against the pipeline, which would run near its North Dakota reservation. The tribe’s chairman David Archambault said the pipeline, which will run under the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, will “knowingly poison water”.

The pipeline was originally meant to run near the city of Bismarck, which has an overwhelmingly white population, before objections resulted in the relocation to Native American land.

There have been several violent clashes between a coalition of Native American tribes and security guards at a protest camp set up at a pipeline construction site in North Dakota. Other activists, including Green party presidential candidate Jill Stein and actor Susan Sarandon, have lent their voices to the protests, which peaked last weekend when tribes claimed cultural sites were being bulldozed.

Jack Dalrymple, North Dakota’s governor, ordered 100 national guard troops to the area of the protest camp ahead of Boasberg’s decision. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe said it has received assurances that the troops will not enter the camp. Energy Transfer, the company that is building the pipeline, has claimed that its workers have been attacked by protesters.

On Thursday, Boasberg had ruled that work will temporarily stop between North Dakota’s state highway 1806 and 20 miles east of Lake Oahe, but will continue west of the highway because he believes the US Army Corps of Engineers lacks jurisdiction on private land.

The pipeline would funnel 500,000 barrels of oil a day from the North Dakota oil field to a refinery in Illinois. The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year but tribal leaders have raised concerns that the pipeline, which will run under the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, will pollute drinking water for millions of people and disturb sacred sites.

In total, the pipeline will make 200 river crossings in four states. The US Army Corp of Engineers, which has jurisdiction over pipelines that cross major waterways, approved the Dakota Access plan despite warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency that leaking oil could pollute the rivers. Energy Transfer has downplayed the concerns, insisting that any leak would be swiftly remedied.

In court documents, Texas-based Energy Transfer said the Dakota Access pipeline is 45% complete and that a temporary injunction to stop it would have “devastating short and long-term impacts” to the project.</s>NEAR THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX RESERVATION, N.D. (AP) — The Latest on the legal challenge and protest of the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline (all times local):

Federal authorities say they want to review their permitting for the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota and have asked that the company “voluntarily pause” construction on a 40-mile span of land that Standing Rock Sioux officials say holds sacred sites and artifacts.

A federal judge denied the tribe’s request Friday to temporarily stop construction on the four-state $3.8 billion oil pipeline.

Shortly after, the Departments of Justice, Army and Interior released a statement says it would “reconsider any of its previous decisions” on land that borders or is under Lake Oahe and requested that Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners “voluntarily pause” work within 20 miles east or west of the lake.

The statement also said that the case “highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects.”

The tribe has said that the pipeline threatens its water supply and that construction already has disturbed sacred sites.

The Standing Rock Sioux’s tribal historian says a federal judge’s decision to deny a request for a temporary stop of construction on the Dakota Access pipeline gives her “a great amount of grief.”

LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, who also has been a part of the protests near the North Dakota reservation, says that the tribe will “continue to stand” and “look for legal recourses,” as well as continue to protest peacefully.

Attorney Jan Hasselman with environmental group Earthjustice, who filed the lawsuit in July on behalf of the tribe, said in the days before the ruling that it’ll be challenged.

Hasselman said that they’ll “hope that construction isn’t completed while that (appeal) process is going forward.”

Officials with pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners didn’t return The Associated Press’ phone calls or emails seeking comment.

Allard also noted that her tribe is not the only that’s filed a lawsuit. The Yankton Sioux tribe in South Dakota did the same yesterday.

A federal judge has denied the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to temporarily stop construction on the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline near their reservation in North Dakota.

Tribal officials challenged the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant permits for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners’ $3.8 billion pipeline that is intended to carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

Friday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg comes amid growing protests over the pipeline, which would cross the Missouri River less than a mile upstream of the reservation.

The tribe argues the pipeline could impact drinking water and that construction has already disturbed ancient sacred sites.

A lawyer for the tribe says the ruling will be appealed.

Many of those protesting the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline are planning to gather at the North Dakota Capitol on the day a judge is to rule on a tribal challenge to the project.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says he’ll rule by the end of Friday on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to block the project, which will carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

The rally is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday on the Capitol grounds, and participants will march there from a bridge over the Missouri River, which the tribe says will be threatened by the pipeline.

Many are coming from the protest site near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, about 40 miles south of Bismarck.

The Standing Rock Sioux say the project threatens water supplies and has already disrupted sacred sites. The developer, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, says modern technology allows quick detection of leaks. Pipeline supporters also say it would cut the amount of oil that travels by train.

A North Dakota state agency that regulates private investigation and security firms is looking into the use of force against protesters of the Dakota Access pipeline.

The confrontation last weekend between protesters and private security guards left some guards injured. Tribal officials say about 30 protesters were pepper-sprayed and some were bitten by dogs after construction workers bulldozed alleged sacred sites.

Monte Rogneby, an attorney for the North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board, says the board received complaints about use of the dogs.

He says the probe should also find out whether the private security personnel at the site are properly registered and licensed. Rogneby says the board has contacted private security firms that it believes were involved in the protest, but he would not name them.

Rogneby says the board wants to finish its investigation “sooner rather than later.”

A federal judge is set to deliver a key ruling Friday on the four-state pipeline.

An attorney says the Yankton Sioux Tribe’s lawsuit over the Dakota Access pipeline is not expected to have any immediate bearing, and she wouldn’t say whether the tribe would ask a federal court to temporarily block construction of it.

The lawsuit from the South Dakota tribe was filed Thursday and is separate from the one filed by the Standing Rock Sioux on which a federal judge is expected to rule Friday.

Tribal attorney Jennifer Baker says the lawsuit will take time, but that the Yankton Sioux wants to stand beside Standing Rock, Cheyenne River and other tribes because they share rights to the water and the land.

The complaint says the pipeline route passes through the tribe’s treaty territory, aboriginal title lands and areas of cultural and spiritual importance.

More than 1,000 people, including families and children, are gathered at the Dakota Access pipeline protest site in North Dakota.

They’re awaiting a critical ruling from a federal judge on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to block the $3.8 billion pipeline over environmental concerns.

Judith LeBlanc is director of the New York-based Native Organizers Alliance. She said Friday that it’s an historic coming together of tribes — probably the largest such gathering of Native Americans in a century.

People have come from as far as New York and Alaska, as well as Canada.

Kate Silvertooth made the daylong drive from Colorado on Thursday, spending hundreds of dollars on supplies such as tarps and food. She says she “felt moved” to help the protesters.

The pipeline, being built by a Texas-based company, is to carry oil from western North Dakota to Illinois.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association has asked U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to send federal monitors to the site of a large pipeline protest in North Dakota.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others are trying to stop the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, saying it threatens their drinking water and has disturbed sacred sites.

The association, made up of tribal leaders in the Dakotas and Nebraska, aims to defend tribal rights.

President John Yellow Bird Steele sent a letter to Lynch on Thursday saying protesters have been attacked by private security with guard dogs and that racial profiling is occurring. Authorities say some protesters are armed with hatchets and knives, and Saturday’s protest injured guards and dogs.

Lynch’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says he’ll rule by the end of Friday on the tribe’s challenge to the pipeline, which will carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she’s working with North Dakota authorities to arrange a court date on charges related to her participation in a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline.

Stein has acknowledged spray-painting construction equipment Tuesday in North Dakota. Stein and running mate Ajamu Baraka were charged Wednesday with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and criminal mischief, and authorities issued arrest warrants.

Stein defended her actions to the Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/2cfvzAg ) Thursday during a campaign stop in Chicago. She said it would have been “inappropriate for me not to have done my small part” to support the Standing Rock Sioux.

The tribe says the pipeline threatens sacred sites and drinking water.

The $3.8 billion pipeline is to carry oil from western North Dakota to Illinois.

A federal judge is set to deliver a key ruling on the four-state Dakota Access pipeline that has drawn thousands of protesters to a construction site in North Dakota in recent weeks.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says he’ll rule by the end of Friday on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to block the $3.8 billion project, which will carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

The tribe argues the project threatens water supplies and has already disrupted sacred sites. The developer, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, says modern technology allows quick detection of leaks. Pipeline supporters also say it would cut the amount of oil that travels by train.

A weekend confrontation between protesters and private security guards left some guards injured and some protesters with dog bites.

This item has been corrected for style to make “pipeline” lowercase in all instances.</s>By James MacPherson, The Associated Press

NEAR THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX RESERVATION, N.D. — A judge on Friday denied the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s attempt to halt the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline near its North Dakota reservation, but three federal agencies asked the pipeline company to “voluntarily pause” work on a segment that tribal officials say holds sacred sites and artifacts.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose cause drew thousands to a protest site in North Dakota, had challenged the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners’ $3.8 billion pipeline, saying that the project violates several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, and will harm water supplies. The tribe also says ancient sacred sites have been disturbed during construction.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington denied the tribe’s request for a temporary injunction in a 58-page opinion.

But a joint statement from the Departments of Justice, Army and Interior said it would “reconsider any of its previous decisions” on land that borders or is under Lake Oahe and requested that Energy Transfer Partners “voluntarily pause” work within 20 miles east or west of the lake. The statement also said that the case “highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects.”

Attorney Jan Hasselman with environmental group Earthjustice, who filed the lawsuit in July on behalf of the tribe, said in the days before the ruling that it’ll be challenged.

“We will have to pursue our options with an appeal and hope that construction isn’t completed while that (appeal) process is going forward,” he said. “We will continue to pursue vindication of the tribe’s lawful rights even if the pipeline is complete.”

Tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard said after the ruling that it gives her “a great amount of grief. My heart is hurting, but we will continue to stand, and we will look for other legal recourses.” She also said the protest will continue.

Energy Transfer Partners officials didn’t return The Associated Press’ phone calls or emails seeking comment.

Boasberg’s ruling said that “this Court does not lightly countenance any depredation of lands that hold significance to the Standing Rock Sioux” and that, given the federal government’s history with the tribe, “the Court scrutinizes the permitting process here with particular care. Having done so, the Court must nonetheless conclude that the Tribe has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here.”

The 1,172-mile project will carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota’s oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois.

Judith LeBlanc, a member of the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma and director of the New York-based Native Organizers Alliance, said before the decision that she expected the protest, which drew thousands Friday, to remain peaceful.

“There’s never been a coming together of tribes like this,” she said of Friday’s gathering of Native Americans, which she estimated could be the largest in a century. People came from as far as New York and Alaska, some bringing their families and children, and hundreds of tribal flags dotted the camp, along with American flags flown upside-down in protest.

A rally against the Dakota Access pipeline is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the North Dakota Capitol, and many of those gathered at the protest site are expected to make the about 45-mile trek.

State authorities announced this week that law enforcement officers from across the state were being mobilized at the protest site, some National Guard members would work security at traffic checkpoints and another 100 would be on standby. The Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association has asked the federal Justice Department to send monitors to the site because it said racial profiling is occurring.

Nearly 40 people have been arrested since the protest began in April, including tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, though none stemmed from Saturday’s confrontation between protesters and construction workers. Tribal officials said workers allegedly bulldozed sites on private land that Hasselman said in court documents was “of great historic and cultural significance.” Energy Transfer Partners denied the allegations.

Four private security guards and two guard dogs were injured, officials said, while a tribal spokesman said six people — including a child — were bitten by the dogs and at least 30 people were pepper-sprayed. The state’s Private Investigation and Security Board received complaints about the use of dogs and will look into whether the private security personnel at the site are properly registered and licensed, board attorney Monte Rogneby said Friday, adding that he would not name the firms.

On Thursday, North Dakota’s archaeologist said that piece of private land was not previously surveyed by the state would be surveyed next week and that if artifacts are found, pipeline work still could cease.

The company plans to have the pipeline completed this year. In court papers, ETP said stopping the project would cost it $1.4 billion the first year, mostly due to lost revenue in hauling crude.

“Investor appetite for the project could shift and financing may no longer be available,” the company said. “Construction of the entire project would cease and the project itself would be jeopardized.”

A status conference in the Standing Rock Sioux’s lawsuit is scheduled for Sept. 16.

This story has been corrected to show that the opinion is 58 pages long, not one page with no explanation.</s>ALLIANCE — About 20 people gather in a silent demonstration Thursday afternoon at the northeast corner of Box Butte and Third Street in support of Standing Rock Reservation, N.D. Lasting about an hour, social media promoted the event attended by many with family and cultural links to the situation and some without. Donald Vergil was part of the demonstration and offered a written statement detailing his opposition, noting, “The cost of life is not expendable nor is our land for sale!” The Standing Rock Sioux are protesting the Dakota Access pipeline that is set to pass close to the reservation near the South Dakota-North Dakota border. A federal judge is expected to rule today on whether construction will stop.</s>The drumming on the Higgins Avenue Bridge stopped long enough today for Raymond Kingfisher to take a few swigs off a glass bottle of soda. He’d been playing and singing consistently for an hour. On either side of him stretched a line of roughly 60 demonstrators, many waving signs like “No DAPL” and “You Can’t Drink Oil.” The rally—meant as a show of solidarity with oil pipeline protesters in North Dakota—came together on fairly short notice considering Kingfisher had only put the call on Facebook that morning. In his opinion, it was long overdue.“People have been wondering why this hasn’t happened here yet,” Kingfisher said this afternoon. “A lot of us are stuck here, can’t really pick up and head out [to the protest camps].”Montanans have been traveling to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation for weeks now to join the thousands-strong stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL, and more have been collecting supplies to donate to the camps. Today was the first time Missoula locals have held a public gathering, however. Several took it as an opportunity to educate curious passers-by about the ins and outs of the DAPL debate and the stand people are taking against perceived threats to clean water and cultural sites. Others simply cheered every time a passing car honked in support. One pedestrian walking through the crowd informed the demonstrators that she’d already donated money to the legal defense fund established by Standing Rock.“This is where it stops,” she said, raising her hand in the air as she navigated the choked sidewalk.A number of critical developments have occurred in regards to the DAPL over the past week. On Sept. 6, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered a temporary halt to work on a portion of the pipeline following a violent Labor Day weekend altercation between protestors and private security guards at the construction site. On Sept. 7, North Dakota’s Morton County issued an arrest warrant for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein after a video of her spray-painting a DAPL bulldozer went viral. Gov. Jack Dalrymple called on the North Dakota National Guard Sept. 8 to help step up enforcement efforts near the protest camps. And throughout all that time, rallies similar to the one in Missoula today have taken shape across the country in cities like Chicago, Portland, Juneau, Denver and Flagstaff. Hundreds of protestors from the camps near Standing Rock marched on Bismarck today, filling the lawn outside the state capitol building.That march, as well as the Missoula rally, happened within hours of Boasberg denying the Standing Rock Sioux’s request for a preliminary injunction against the DAPL. The tribe immediately announced its intent to appeal the judge’s decision. Not long after, the U.S. departments of Justice, the Army and the Interior jointly called on Energy Transfer Partners to stop DAPL construction, stating a need to pursue national reform to “ensure meaningful tribal input” on such projects. Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II responded in a statement saying “our voices have been heard.” And some of those voices came from right here in western Montana.“We pray for it,” Ruth Swaney said this afternoon while holding a sign and watching her daughter Lily. “Every night when we say our bedtime prayers, it’s one of the things we pray for.”</s>A US federal judge on Friday denied a request by a Native American tribe to halt an oil pipeline in North Dakota over fears the project could endanger its drinking water.

US District Judge James Boasberg sided with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the pipeline's developer Energy Transfer Partners, ruling that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe "has not shown it will suffer injury" if the pipeline's construction underneath the Missouri River is allowed to proceed.

The tribe filed a lawsuit against the Corps, saying it did not adequately consider the potential environmental impacts of the project.

The battle has galvanized Native American tribes throughout the US, in a months-long protest that has garnered worldwide attention.

Members of some 200 tribes and supporters have gathered for months at a North Dakota camp site near the pipeline's planned route, some as early as April, to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Ahead of the judge's decision, tribe chairman David Archambault released a statement urging protesters to remain peaceful.

"We call upon all water protectors to greet any decision with peace and order. Even if the outcome of the court's ruling is not in our favor, we will continue to explore every lawful option and fight against the construction of the pipeline," Archambault said.</s>BEMIDJI -- Despite a distance of more than 300 miles, members of the Bemidji, Red Lake and Leech Lake communities are hitting the road to protest a pipeline that would carry crude oil through North Dakota -- and sites sacred to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

Activists began gathering at locations in Morton County, N.D., in mid-August to protest the Dakota Access pipeline. Since then, community members from all walks of life -- from college students to teachers to local activists -- have made the trip, and some nearby tribes have officially voiced their support for the protestors. Many are concerned that the pipeline will end up leaking, polluting nearby water sources.

Nicole Buckanaga, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, traveled to the construction site two weekends in a row to show her support for the Standing Rock tribe. For Buckanaga the construction hits close to home, despite the physical distance.

“No matter what neighborhood you live in, no matter what color your skin is, no matter how much money you have in the bank, there’s nowhere to run when the earth becomes your enemy,” Buckanaga said. “If your water is not drinkable, that poisoned water doesn’t care what color your skin is or how much money you have in the bank.”

Despite a conflict between protesters and private security officers Saturday, Buckanaga and other locals who traveled North Dakota said the protesting has been peaceful and that they have felt safe at the camps set up near the construction sites. Buckanaga even brought her older children to the demonstration.

“I’ve never felt so safe in my life, to be quite honest with you,” Buckanaga said. “There was zero hostility within the camp. It was a beautiful thing to see so many people coming together.”

The Red Lake Nation College is also sponsoring a group of about 20 students who plan to travel to a protest site in Cannonball, N.D. Devery Fairbanks, a college faculty member who will travel with the students, said the college is sponsoring the trip to give students a voice.

“The college is agreeing to it because the students want it,” Fairbanks said. “The students have a voice, so the college will try to work with the students on their ideas and what they want to do.”

Fairbanks has already made one trip to the site and emphasized the peace of the protests.

“I’ve never been to anything that was so emotional and powerful and spiritual as this gathering,” he said. “It’s peaceful, there are no weapons. It’s not designed to attack or to be aggressive at all.”

Christian Taylor-Johnson, a junior at BSU who is from Leech Lake, traveled to North Dakota with a group of friends and plans to return this weekend. Taylor-Johnson said he is passionate about protecting the earth, and that he felt called to join the activists.

“There was something inside of me that called me there, that said...go stand in solidarity with your brothers and sisters,” Taylor-Johnson said.

The student spent five days in North Dakota, and said the time he spent there was peaceful.

“It was just a beautiful, serene experience,” he said. “If anybody has the chance to go, I completely encourage you to go.”

Three nearby tribes have also shown support for the Standing Rock tribe. A resolution signed Aug. 23 by the Red Lake Tribal Council stated that the tribe “opposes the creation of new pipelines anywhere, and fully supports the peaceful and legal efforts to stop new pipeline currently occurring near Standing Rock Sioux reservation.”

The resolution will be ratified at the next council meeting Tuesday.

Leech Lake has not passed a resolution but Faron Jackson Sr., chairman of the Leech Lake Tribal Council, wrote a letter Aug. 18 opposing the pipeline. LeRoy Staples Fairbanks, a district representative on the council, hand-delivered the letter to the Standing Rock tribe.

“We are honored with the position your nation has taken and you have our admiration for your dedication to protecting your sovereignty, treaty right and also the Mother we all share,” the letter said. “The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe believes that water is sacred and there is no life without clean water.”
A U.S. federal judge denies a request to stop construction of a pipeline that runs through the Standing Rock Reservation of the Sioux people.