Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young has piped up in the Dakota Access pipeline protests with his brand new songIn recent weeks, thousands of people have gathered at an encampment north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota in protest of the construction of the more than $3 billion pipeline.
This isn't the first time Young has used his musical talent to advocate against environmental issues. In 2014 he protested against the Keystone XL pipeline in with his song,
Neil-Young-Journeys_640_1951670494 Source: NITV News
The move came as Native American tribes took their fight to Washington to stop development of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline, which would cross federally managed and private lands in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
Last week the U.S. Justice Department intervened to delay construction of the pipeline in North Dakota. The Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion was signed by 50 aboriginal groups in North America, who also plan to oppose tanker and rail projects in both countries, they said in a statement.
Targets include projects proposed by Kinder Morgan Inc, TransCanada Corp and Enbridge Inc.
Source: AFP
"Indian Givers" Lyrics:
There's a battle raging on the sacred land
Our brothers and sisters had to take a stand
Against us now for what we all been doin'
On the sacred land there's a battle brewin'
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
Now it's been about 500 years
We keep taking what we gave away
Just like what we call Indian givers
It makes you sick and gives you shivers
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
Big money going backwards and ripping the soil
Where graves are scattered and blood was boiled
When all who look can see the truth
But they just move on and keep their groove
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
Saw Happy locked to the big machine
They had to cut him loose and you know what that means
That's when Happy went to jail
Behind big money justice always fails
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
Bring back the days when good was good
Lose these imposters in our neighborhood
Across our farms and through our waters
All at the cost of our sons and squaw daughters
Yeah our brave sons and daughters
We're all here together fighting poison waters
Standing against the evil way
That's what we have at the end of day
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
I wish somebody would share the news
Protests continue:
Aboriginal tribes from Canada and the northern United States signed a treaty to jointly fight proposals to build more pipelines to carry crude from Alberta's oil sands, saying further development would damage the environment.
While aboriginal groups have long opposed oil sands development, the treaty signals a more coordinated approach to fight proposals.
Among the treaty's signatories is the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who opposes the Dakota pipeline.
"What this treaty means is that from Quebec, we will work with allies in British Columbia, to make sure that the Kinder Morgan pipeline does not pass," Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon said in the statement.
"And we will also work with our tribal allies in Minnesota as they take on Enbridge's Line 3 expansion, and we know they'll help us do the same against Energy East," he said, referring to TransCanada's plan to carry 1.1 million barrels of crude per day from Alberta to Canada's East Coast.
The statement did not specify what actions the groups would take to stop development. The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, whose members include the targeted companies, said in a statement that the industry would listen to aboriginal concerns.
Source: AFP
"The fact remains there is a critical need for pipelines in Canada," the association said, noting that they are the safest and most environmentally friendly way to move oil and gas.
Canada is assessing oil pipeline proposals as the country's energy-rich province Alberta reels from a crash in prices, partly due to insufficient means of moving oil to lucrative international markets.
