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North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has activated the North Dakota National Guard ahead of a federal judge's expected Friday ruling on a
request by the Standing Rock Sioux to stop the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline. While Dalrymple claims the measure is meant to ensure public safety, the reality is that
the state intends to use the Guard to assist in denying access to the protest camps in the event that the federal court rules against the tribe. With the protest camps at one point swelling to over a reported 4,000 individuals, the state is attempting to employ a denial of access strategy in the event that it grows in the wake of the expected federal court ruling.
During a press conference announcing the activation of the National Guard, Dalrymple stated that a contingent of 24 Guard members will assist law enforcement in
providing security at a number of traffic checkpoints approximately 30-miles from the protest site. 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, who also sits on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), is expected to rule by Friday on the tribe's request to
temporarily halt construction on the Dakota Access pipeline. Earlier this week, Boasberg
granted in part and denied in part the tribe's request for a temporary restraining order to stop the project. He said he would decide by Friday
whether to grant the larger challenge to the pipeline, which would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permits, according to Reuters.
The tribe has been leading a protest for months, with the main protest camps where the pipeline route passes near its reservation near the North Dakota-South Dakota border, swelling to over 4,000 people in recent weeks.
Comment: There is ample evidence that fracking devastates the environment and endangers the health of those living anywhere near the sites. Governments and corporations are well aware of this, but due to the psychopathic nature of those in charge, the well-being of those most affected by their policies is never of any concern: Fracking - you are not important