Guard Put On Alert As Protesters Await Decision On N Dakota Pipeline

"The governor of North Dakota has activated the state's National Guard ahead of a U.S. District judge's decision Friday morning that could inflame protesters who have been gathered here for weeks in an effort to block a pipeline project.

An encampment stretching a half-mile amid pastureland along a lonely state highway is home to a weeks-long protest against the Dakota Access oil pipeline, which could carry more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken region of western North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa to connect with an existing pipeline in Illinois.

The National Guard is so far limited to serving as an imposing, uniformed presence at what it called 'traffic information points,' but it could be put to more active duty if needed, a news release said. "

Nigel Duara reports for the Los Angeles Times September 8, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Dakota Pipeline Fight Is Sioux Tribe's Cry For Justice" (InsideClimate News)

"‘I Want to Win Someday’: Tribes Make Stand Against Pipeline" (New York Times)

"North Dakota Pipeline Fight Gives Spark To Native American Activism" (Reuters)

"Native Americans Fighting To Protect Sacred Land Find Ally On Mainstream News" (Huffington Post)

"Trump's Connection to Dakota Access Pipeline" (DeSmog)

"Dakota Pipeline Becomes New Flashpoint" (The Hill)

"Native American Tribes Sense A Reawakening In Fight Over Oil Pipeline" (Chicago Tribune)