International Protesters Converge on Dakota Access Pipeline Site

Protest activity against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in southern North Dakota is drawing international participants, including from Canadian First Nations, according to a CBC News report. Erica Ryan-Gagne, a Haida business owner from Skidegate on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, drove 30 hours with her two young children to join the Standing Rock protest camp.

Ryan-Gagne stated her support is for the Sioux Nation's battle against the pipeline, which she connects to energy projects in British Columbia. "Whether it's Lelu Island, Flora Banks, a liquified natural gas plant proposed at the mouth of the Skeena [River], Enbridge Northern Gateway or the Dakota Access pipeline, it's all connected. It's all big oil," she told CBC News.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a $3.8 billion project designed to transport light sweet crude oil from the Bakken formation to Illinois. Energy Transfer Partners is leading the project, with Enbridge investing $1.5 billion to participate. The pipeline's route passes near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in southern North Dakota.

The protest has involved thousands of people and seen volatile incidents. According to the report, equipment has been vandalized, guards have used pepper spray and dogs against protesters, and the National Guard has been called in. Ryan-Gagne described herself as a peaceful protester, bringing traditional songs and prayers to the camp.

Support for the protest extends beyond physical presence. The Council of the Haida Nation endorsed Ryan-Gagne's trip and sent several thousand dollars for the Sioux's legal defense fund. Ryan-Gagne also collected American money from people on Haida Gwaii for camp organizers and packed her car with supplies including jars of fish, dried medicine, cedar, sweaters, laundry soap, and batteries.

For Bakken operators and the state of North Dakota, the ongoing protest highlights continued opposition to a key piece of infrastructure intended to move Bakken crude to market. The pipeline is a major investment aimed at improving takeaway capacity from the prolific formation. Persistent demonstrations and legal challenges, now with direct international support and funding, contribute to the operational and political uncertainty surrounding the project's completion and operation.