The same environmental mistakes, like large scale oil pipelines including the Dakota Access Pipeline project, are being made over and over again. Many can recall President Obama vetoing plans for the expansion project of the Keystone Pipeline last year, citing climate change and environmental concerns. However, our Commander in Chief has yet to make an official statement about the protests against the Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline project making headlines at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton has not taken a firm stance against the pipeline either, and the Republican candidate Donald Trump owns stock in Energy Transfer Partners, the natural gas and propane company responsible for the project. Construction plans for the pipeline were first published in 2014 and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have been opposed to the project ever since. Two years later, the Dakota Access Pipeline has gathered national attention and thousands of fellow protestors.

The pipeline, if built, would be transporting approximately 570,000 barrels of crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois every day. Not only would it be encouraging dependency on fossil fuels, but the $4 billion project would be built right under the Missouri River, a main water source for Standing Rock. One of the original plans for the pipeline was a route just north of Bismarck, North Dakota. However, according to the Bismarck Tribune, these plans were later routed to cross under the Missouri River at Standing Rock instead due to the concern over Bismarck’s water supply. Therefore, the concern for water justice is only given to certain communities, with reservations as an exception.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,” says Native American Student Association member Jenevieve Van Order, “In Wisconsin right now, the Menominee Nation is fighting against the Back Forty Mine that will be mining for metals on sacred Menominee land. There are countless other examples.” Conditions that would never be allowed in predominately white communities are forced onto others (remember Flint?). Students for Sustainability member Robert Piper agreed when he stated that, “this oil comes at the expense of the resources, environment, and religious values of an already marginalized group.” Van Order also wants to remind UW-La Crosse students that this not only affects the reservation, but all people and future generations. “Once water is poisoned, you cannot take it back.”

Van Order gave several suggestions for students to support the water protectors at Standing Rock. First, students can donate items for those in North Dakota to use as winter approaches. These items could include non-perishable food items, warm clothing, like jackets, hats, and blankets, and can be dropped off at The Three Rivers House in La Crosse. If students are on a tighter budget, Van Order suggests following indigenous media outlets like the Indigenous Life Movement and Sacred Stone Camp to fight the media blackout of the protest and raise awareness. Native American Student Association (NASA) will also be selling NODAPL t-shirts on campus with proceeds going to Standing Rock. According to Van Order, “It’s time to stand with Standing Rock.”