Rosebud Sioux Tribe Promises Continued Vigilance on Keystone XL Pipeline

Boulder, CO – President William Kindle of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) promised continued vigilance in light of the Nebraska Public Service Commission’s decision today to permit TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline to cross that state’s lands. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has retained the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) to represent its interests with regard to the Keystone XL pipeline.

The pipeline’s proposed route crosses through traditional Lakota homelands and treaty territories, and will affect not only the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, but also Native Nations in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It also endangers the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water for Native and non-Native users’ residential and agricultural needs on the High Plains in eight states.

“The land, water, tribal sovereignty, and governmental services were not ‘given’ to us in those treaties,” President Kindle said. “They were bargained for with the blood of our ancestors. We will not dishonor our relatives and unnecessarily endanger our health, safety, and wellbeing. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will take any and all necessary steps, up to and including litigation, to protect our people, our land and water, and our cultural and historic resources.”

“As we have seen, spills from such projects can be catastrophic,” said NARF Staff Attorney Matt Campbell. “The Rosebud Sioux Tribe – just like South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana – has a duty to protect the health and welfare of its citizens. NARF will help the Tribe consider all of its options for ensuring the safety of its citizens, territory, and resources.”

“This is their land, their water,” said NARF Staff Attorney Natalie Landreth. “They have laws protecting their water; those laws must be respected. Keystone XL will need permission from the Tribe, so this is not over.”