Editor's note: This story has been updated with more details about the deployment.
National Park Service law enforcement rangers are being called to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, where protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline have been given until February 22 to leave the area. After that deadline, police are expected to forcibly remove them.
Park Service officials in Washington, D.C., would not confirm the call-up, with chief spokesman Thomas Crosson telling the Traveler on Wednesday afternoon that, "I have nothing to provide at this time."
Three different sources within the agency, speaking on the condition that they not be identified as they were not authorized to discuss the call-up, confirmed the deployment to the Traveler. A deployment order obtained by the Traveler notes that the rangers are set to arrive in North Dakota on Sunday, February 19, and depart on March 6. They will assist the Department of the Interior "in a humanitarian effort to maintain public safety, protection of property, peace and order as it relates to encampments located on Reservation land," the order states. It says personnel should bring available riot gear, including gas masks, as well as "night vision, thermal scopes, and any other useful items."
One source, however, said the rangers were to help clear the protesters out of camps along the Missouri River.
Chase Ironeyes of the Lakota People's Law Project could not immediately be reached for comment, though his staff said Traveler's request had been forwarded to him.
Exactly how many protesters remain at Standing Rock is hard to say, though it's thought to be considerably less than the thousands that once headed there to protest the pipeline.
President Trump earlier this year signed an executive order to restart construction of the pipeline, which tribes oppose.
Comments
"Please tell me what water supply has been permentantly impaired by an oil pipeline leak."
Not from pipelines, but the damage from the Exxon Valdez and the Gulf spill of a few years ago are still there and still affecting environments in Alaska and along the Gulf Coast.
Then there are places where damage still plagues people from long ago leakage of gasoline and refinery tanks. There are literally thousands of examples.
Perhaps there should be more than 5 seconds of thought put into trying to kneecap another person's comment.
Doyle Hargrave:
They aren't. They should be cleaned up. It is shameful for people professing concern for the environment to trash it.
I guess that's why the park rangers need to bring their night scopes, thermal vision and other riot gear.
Thank you. Thats what we are taking about - pipelines. But then the Valdez and BP didn't permantly destroy any water supply either.
*What is Russia's number 1 export? Fossil fuels (Oil and Coal)
*Who is Trump's Secretary of State? Rex Tillerson
*Where did Tillerson come from? Exxon Mobile
*Who gave Tillerson a partnership award? Vladimir Putin
*Who secretly spent billions for a 20% share in Russia's largest oil company and is hiding their identity in a Caman Islands? Could it be Exxon Mobile??
*Who governs the Caman islands? Britain
*Who was one of the first foreign officials Trump met with? Uber conservative British prime minister Theresa May
*To whom has Trump pledged unwavering support? Japan
*Who is the largest importer of fossil fuels outside of china? Japan
*Where does Japan rely for fossil fuels? The Middle East
*Who is Trump at war with? The Middle East.
*Who would generate billions from selling fossil fuels to Japan? Exxon mobile
*Who wanted to sell oil to Taiwan? Donald Trump
*Who slapped him in the face for trying to develop business relations with Taiwan? China
*Who has Trump trashed throughout his campaign? China
*Why has he trashed China? Because they get oil from Saudi Arabia and don't pay Russia enough for oil.
*Who is deregulating the fossil fuel industry? Donald Trump
*Who allowed the Dakota pipeline to proceed? Donald Trump.
*Who secretly promised to relieve Obama's sanctions against Russia? Mike Flynn
*Who wants Flynn's fall to be a "trust" issue? Donald Trump
*Why does trump want this to be a "trust" issue? Because a legal issue means an investigation which may reveal secret oil deals in place with Russia
*What does this add up to?
Donald Trump and Rex Tillerson, representing Exxon Mobile, have a fossil fuel deal in place worth billions in personal kickbacks and currently there are business deals led by Trump and Tillerson being negotiated to sell Russia's oil in the US, Japan, and Europe.
**Who owns this president? Exxon mobile
-The end.-
theres a pipeline in Minnesota that is aging and leaking. And instead of repairing it, it's gonna get replaced and abandoned. Do your research before talk.
Little - that same "pit them against their brothers" strategy is what Trump traditionally does. That was the path to the top floor of Trump Tower, That is what he is doing with his senior White House staff right now. It is organizational nihilism.
Hmmm, just read of two major pipeline leaks and fires in the last two days.
red yellow black and tan-white is the color of the new boss man