"Indigenous Runners Plead for Biden's Intervention to Halt DAPL Operations"
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) remains a contentious issue, with ongoing legal battles and activist actions primarily led by Indigenous groups, including youth.
Legal Status
The pipeline’s original easement was vacated due to environmental review needs, but legal stays and appeals have kept it operational during ongoing court deliberations as of mid-2025[1][3]. A court ruling in July found that DAPL was operating illegally in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act[2].
Activism
Indigenous youth and activists continue to press for the pipeline's shutdown through protests and direct actions. Notable demonstrations include the shutdown of Wells Fargo headquarters, a bank criticised for funding DAPL and threatening Indigenous water sources[2].
Pipeline Operation
Despite legal challenges and protests, DAPL remains in service, transporting 570,000 barrels of oil a day and set to double its capacity[3].
The Youth at the Forefront
The youth are at the heart of the effort to shut down Dakota Access. AnnaLee Yellow Hammer, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and vice president of the Standing Rock Youth Council, started her efforts to stop the pipeline when she was in middle school[1]. In 2016, she wrote a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers to halt the pipeline's construction[1]. AnnaLee, along with about 30 Indigenous youth, ran from North Dakota to Washington, D.C., to deliver the letter[1].
Joye Braun, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is a frontline community organizer with IEN[1]. William Brown Otter, another member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, ran cross country in high school before becoming a water protector[1]. Tasina Sapa Win, a member of the Cheyenne River Siou Tribe, co-founded the Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective[1].
The Movement's Vision
The movement to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline is described as being for the seven generations ahead, for the leaders of tomorrow, and for the children born into a world addicted to oil and gas[1]. The youth runners view their efforts as a sacrifice for future generations[1].
Looking Ahead
The hearing to decide the fate of the Dakota Access pipeline was delayed until April[1]. The youth plan to take their fight against the Dakota Access pipeline to Washington, D.C., on April 1, the fifth anniversary of the birth of Sacred Stone Camp[1]. They also plan to take action against Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline, which cuts through Anishinaabe lands in Minnesota[1].
The youth runners in the article see their efforts as a means to connect with their Lakota identity and demonstrate the power of prayer[1]. Celebrities like Kerry Washington, Mark Ruffalo, and Ava DuVernay have signed a letter to President Biden asking him to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline[1].
Dawnee LeBeau contributed additional reporting.
[1] Indigenous Environmental Network [2] Yes! Magazine [3] The Guardian
- The youth-led movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) includes sending a newsletter to President Biden, asking him to shut down the pipeline.
- The Indigenous community continues to fight for the shutdown of DAPL through protests and direct actions, with some members even organizing runs from North Dakota to Washington, D.C.
- The ongoing legal battles over DAPL's operation have left the pipeline functioning illegally, according to a July court ruling, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.
- The DAPL magazine, environmental-science community, and general-news outlets have covered the pipeline's contentious status extensively, including reports on the activism, its ongoing operation, and the upcoming court hearings.
- The fight against DAPL is not only about the pipeline's immediate impact on the environment and Indigenous water sources but also about securing a better future for generations to come, as stated by the youth runners involved in the movement.
