I am curious to know why our Tribal Governments are not doing more to stop TransCanada from building the proposed Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline through our treaty lands. There are many Tribes living on or near the corridor where the proposed pipeline will run. It seems to me the Canadian Tribes are more vocal than we are. Why is that?

Will our tribal politicians wait until the land is totally devastated before they decide to take real action? Maybe our Tribal Governments don’t realize how important it is to stop this project. There have been resolutions approved by some Tribal Governments which contain language opposing oil pipeline construction. Still, approving legislation at the Tribal Government level is not enough. Our elected leaders must take a more aggressive role in stopping this proposed pipeline.

Think about it. If President Obama signs the Presidential Permit approving TransCanada’s application to build their death project, there will most likely be a man camp established in the Colome, SD area with at least 600 roughnecks from all over the country staying there. They will be making good money to build the monster pipeline. We have tribal members living in this area. The Milks Camp, Bull Creek and Ideal Communities are near the small town of Colome, SD.