UW Political Science Professor Aseem Prakash and his colleague Nives Dolsak address the DAPL Pipeline protests in a new article for Slate online news magazine.
In the article, Prakash and Dolsak discuss the advantages the pipelines could offer if the Sioux Indian Protesters and fossil-fuel companies found a way to work together. Sioux Indian Protesters believe the pipelines could severely contaminate their drinking water and seek rerouting of the pipelines. But fossil-fuel companies assert the benefits the DAPL Pipelines have to offer. Prakash and Dolsak claim:
“Pipeline or not, fossil fuels will likely continue to be transported and that without the pipeline, they will be transported in other ways such as trains. But the precedent has been set that this is a way to stand up to this system, and so, regardless of whether it is the best means of stopping fossil-fuel extraction, it seems to be an effective strategy.”
Sioux protesters along with other Native American Tribes also argue that the pipelines will run through sacred lands, which would cause another disruption in fossil fuel transportation. Although there are many issues to be solved, Prakash and Dolsak conclude that the DAPL pipelines will offer huge benefits in fossil-fuel transportation if and when a middle ground is found.
The article titled: “The Dakota Pipeline Protests Should Think Big” was published in the online Slate magazine on November 3, 2016. Slate is an online daily news magazine which “combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and political news”.