Dakota Access Pipeline: Chapter Guidance
Support the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline
Thank you for the interest so many of you have shown in standing in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline and for the work you have already done to fight this dirty fuel infrastructure project. It is a critical fight for our work to keep dirty fuels in the ground and a moment to stand in solidarity with our tribal allies who are yet again on the front lines of this fight against Big Oil. In North Dakota, this fight is being led by the Standing Rock Sioux and dozens of other tribes across the country who are coming together in a historic way, not seen in more than 100 years.
There have been a number of chapters that have reached out seeking guidance on how they can engage to support the Standing Rock Sioux in their fight against the Dakota Access pipeline. We encourage you to support through resources and helping to leverage our collective power to push the Administration to revoke the pipeline permits.
Here are the ways in which we invite your Chapter to engage:
SOLIDARITY RALLIES/EVENTS:
On Tuesday, September 13th, Sierra Club will be joining partners to host a day of solidarity events and rallies across the country to call on President Obama to take action to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Your Chapter and groups are encouraged to coordinate a peaceful solidarity rally on this day or to join with coalition and tribal partners on one that is already planned. Register your event herefor this specific day of action targeting President Obama. If you want to recruit for the general Day of Action, please use sierraclub.org/NoDAPL as the promotion link. If you want to recruit for a specific event, please add ?referrer=sierra-club to the end of the event URL before sharing (this way we know how many people Sierra Club recruited). Also, if you host an event, please submit photos and tag on social media with #NoDAPL so that we can gather those photos and share your event as a part of the story of all those standing with the Standing Rock Sioux and tribal allies against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Please with any questions.
DONATE RESOURCES to the Sacred Stone Camp (a peaceful prayer camp on privately owned land with permission from tribal landowner for camp to be there) to be used to support camp life -- ie.supplies, food, water and shelter:
Financial: Chapters can donate 501C3 funds to support the Sacred Stone Camp via grants to 501C3 partner organizations: Indigenous Environmental Network and Honor the Earth. For further information on how your chapter can donate, contact or 415-977-5771. All Sierra Club c3 donations should be accompanied by a letter including the following statement: “This contribution is not to be used for electoral purposes.”
501C4 donations can go to the organizations above or directly to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe or the Sacred Stone Camp through their websites. These links can be shared with your members and supporters via e-mail or on social media to direct resources to support the camps. All Sierra Club c4 donations should be accompanied by a letter including the following statement: “This contribution is not to be used for electoral purposes.”
Note: Chapters should not collect funds themselves, but should direct members to donate online or via a check (addresses available on organization’s websites)
Material: Chapters can hold collections of needed resources for the camps, a list of which can be found here: or encourage members to send supplies to the camps directly through their Amazon wishlist. Chapters who are collecting donations of supplies should either secure the funding the ship the collected items to ND or partner with organizations that are sending individuals to the camps to ensure the timely arrival of donated materials.
TRAVEL TO CAMP: At this time, Chapters should not plan to send members or supporters to the camps or recruit folks to visit from Sierra Club lists or with Sierra Club resources. If individuals have attended the camps on their own, we welcome them to share their stories with Sierra Club members or at Sierra Club events, but at this time ask that Chapters hold off on sending large groups to the camps and opt instead for other events to show support. We will issue further guidance on this matter in the future should this recommendation change.
EMAIL: We have put together an action alert (below) that has gone out to our lists, but feel free to share on Chapter listservs or on facebook using this link: We are also doing a mobile alert for call-in days to the White House on this issue between now and Friday that will go to members and supporters who are on our mobile alert list.
SOCIAL: There are a number of articles and videos that you can share to your chapter facebook pages or twitter. Our national page is posting these, so feel free to retweet or repost. The hashtag to follow is #NoDAPL.
-Facebook, August 18
-Facebook, August 24
-Twitter, August 24
-Twitter, August 30
-Twitter, August 30
Mike Brune put out a great blog that I encourage you all to share (links to action alert):
I will share additional opportunities for coordinated action as they arise, so please watch for those!
Background on Dakota Access
By way of background, in 2014 Energy Transfer Partners and Dakota Access announced plans for Dakota Access, a 1,168 mile long pipeline (just 7 miles shorter than the now rejected KXL pipeline) that would carry 450,000 barrels per day of fracked oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to Illinois (via South Dakota and Iowa) to link with other pipeline networks and transport oil to the Gulf. In July 2016, Dakota Access received their general permits from the Army Corps of Engineers under a fast tracking provision (Nationwide Permit 12) and these were issued without adequate environmental review, public input or tribal consultation. There is one outstanding Army Corps easement that has not been issued, it is for drilling directly under the Missouri River in North Dakota.
In late August, nearly 500 tribal leaders, celebrities and activists joined a rally in Washington, DC led by the Standing Rock Sioux. Sierra Club was there in solidarity and also joined them in DC three weeks earlier when 30 tribal youth ran a 2,000 mile relay against the pipeline to deliver nearly 200,000 petitions to the Army Corps of Engineers. The tribe and allies have led rallies in Bismarck, North Dakota at the capitol and have a growing prayer camp along the banks of the Missouri River where construction of the pipeline would threaten their water and sacred cultural sites. The Sacred Stone camp continues to grow. The Standing Rock tribe has brought a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers that will be heard in court in September and construction of the pipeline under the Missouri River near their reservation remains on hold until the final easement is approved. We are focused supporting this growing movement apart from any civil disobedience.
Additionally, where the pipeline crosses through Iowa, Iowa landowners on 17 parcels have objected to the construction of this project. The Sierra Club's Iowa Chapter has been central to legal action against the pipeline and protests are ongoing.
As a note, Sierra Club has a policy that does not endorse or allow us to participate in planned Civil Disobedience actions without Board approval. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about our policy related to the actions we are advising here or resources we have provided.