Water Contamination Fears Spark Bernie Sanders Pipeline Protest

Bernie Sanders teamed up with members of Native American tribes this week to protest a proposed oil pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois that opponents see as a threat to drinking water quality.

"We cannot allow our drinking water to be poisoned so that a handful of fossil fuel companies can make even more in profits," the Vermont senator said, per Fusion. “We stand united in saying, ‘Stop the pipeline, respect Native American rights and let us move forward to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels.’”

During a protest outside the White House on Tuesday, Sanders called on President Obama to delay the Dakota Access oil pipeline, according to USA Today. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Native American groups also joined the protest. The protesters want the government to conduct a cultural impact and environmental analysis of the project, which will span four states and cost nearly $4 billion. Opponents say a thorough analysis would kill the pipeline.

“The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said the pipeline threatens sacred tribal lands and the water supply for residents in the region. Concerns about water supplies in the region also prompted reconsideration for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, before the White House moved against the project on broader environmental grounds,” UPI reported.

“Federal officials last week temporarily halted part of the Dakota Access project, but Sanders wants the administration to go further,” the report said.

Pipeline proponents say it is essential to ensuring shale oil remain a strong part of the national economy, UPI reported.

“The partnership behind the Dakota pipeline said it's needed to accommodate and distribute the amount of crude oil being produced from the Bakken shale oil basin in North Dakota,” the report said.

Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the Dakota Access pipeline, denies that the pipeline would have an impact on the water supply.

“We are committed to protecting and respecting the welfare of all workers, the Native American community, local communities where we operate, and the long-term integrity of the land and waters in the region,” CEO Kelcy Warren wrote in a memo, per USA Today.

Pipeline opponents say a carrying oil through local neighborhoods also carries a risk to drinking water. Per USA Today:

At Tuesday's protest, Jasilyn Charger, 20, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, grew tearful while telling the crowd "there will be no warning for my people" if the pipeline breaks and pollutes their water. She and other tribal youths recently ran 2,000 miles from the Standing Rock Reservation to Washington to protest the pipeline.

Chase Iron Eyes of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation echoed the concerns about water, per USA Today: "As a country, we need to respect what we call 'our first medicine,' which is water," he said before Tuesday's rally. "But it's good business to protect our water resources because energy security, agricultural security and national security flow directly from water security."

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