The issue of the Dakota Access Pipeline is one that has been largely ignored by media outlets. I wrote about the pipeline several weeks ago in a different article, where I talked about how the pipeline could ruin sacred burial grounds for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and threaten clean water in those areas. I also mentioned how in this world where climate change is already taking place and carbon Dioxide has already caused irreversible damage, money should be spent trying to find new sources of energy, since the world's resource of oil is limited anyway. Despite the economic possibilities that the pipeline would have, I believe that the cost is too high.
Despite how important this pipeline is, the media coverage about it is still lacking. Construction on the pipeline has already been halted momentarily due to protests, but not enough has been done to stop it from being built. The protests have grown from members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribes to other tribes, as well of thousands of environmental supporters. The cause has also come to the attention to other prominent figures, such as former Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. Many celebrities have also spoken in favor of the Standing Rock Sioux, most actively actress Shailene Woodley, best known for the Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars. She has been physically protesting with the Sioux tribe. Several days ago she and 27 others were arrested while they were peacefully protesting at the pipeline site. She recorded herself walking peacefully back to her trailer, and then being told by police that she was being arrested on a Facebook livestream. In the video, protesters are clearly seen protesting peacefully. Riot police arrested them for criminal trespassing.
There seems to be no sign of the pipeline coming to an end. Despite the protesting, there has been no action done to end the construction of the pipeline besides the momentary halting, which is only temporary. Shailene has been released from jail, but she continues to speak out about the pipeline and the destruction it will cause. So far, it does not seem like anything will be done to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being built. Other celebrities such as Ansel Elgort and Mark Ruffalo have also spoken out in support of Shailene.