The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a controversial issue in the news since 2016 due to
the negative effects it will have on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. There has been significant
discussion of whether it is an issue of environmental justice, as well as whether or not it is legal.
I argue that through the Dakota Access Pipeline is a case of environmental justice and illegal by
discussing treaty making and breaking and tribal consultation clauses included in laws protecting
water, historic sites, and the environment. I also illustrate that the Dakota Access Pipeline is a
continuation of the narrative of settler colonial exploitation of Native groups and suggest societal
changes to remedy this.
