Some miscellaneous items pertinent to people, present matters and events addressing the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Standing Rock Protests:
Hazardous Weather Condition Warning
An approaching cold front and low pressure center will induce blizzard conditions in North Dakota starting tonight:
www.wunderground.com/...
The National Weather Service at 5:48 PM issued a blizzard warning for Sioux County at Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation until 6 PM CST Tuesday:
* timing... through Tuesday afternoon.
* Snowfall... snowfall accumulations between 4 and 7 inches.
* Winds/visibility... gusts to 50 mph with near zero visibilities
in blowing snow late tonight through Tuesday afternoon.
Visibilities will be worst in rural areas.
* Impacts... dangerous... if not impossible travel.
* Wind chills... to 20 below zero Tuesday.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are
expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds
and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout
conditions... making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If
you must travel... have a winter survival kit with you. If you get
stranded... stay with your vehicle.
www.wunderground.com/…
…..as well as Morton County, ND…
www.wunderground.com/…
The Morton County Sheriff advises:
The following is transmitted at the request of the Morton,
Bottineau, Pierce and Rolette County sheriffs offices.
No travel is advised in these counties due to snow and blowing
snow with near zero visibilities.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol advises:
Both eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 94 from
Dickinson to Jamestown will close at 5:30 PM CST this Monday
afternoon.
Safety Rules for Blizzards:
A Blizzard Warning has been issued by your National Weather
Service in North Dakota. The following safety rules should ensure
your survival.
A brief reminder... a warning means the storm is actually
occurring or is imminent.
Do not venture out into the storm unless absolutely necessary.
Most blizzard fatalities involve people who left a place of
safety while the storm was in progress.
If you must go out, dress warmly. It is very important to keep
your head, hands and feet protected. Most of the body's heat is
lost through the outer extremities, especially the head.
Avoid overexertion even if you are in good physical condition. It
is hard work walking in heavy snow, high winds, bitter cold wind
chills, and blinding visibilities. Do not kill yourself shoveling
snow.
In your home, be very careful of starting fires. The Fire
Department may not be able to get to you during the storm.
On the Road, you should have winter survival gear in your
vehicle. If stranded in the storm, stay in your vehicle. Run the
engine sparingly to conserve fuel. Keep your exhaust pipe clear
of snow.
Circulate fresh air in the car by opening one of the windows
slightly. Turn on the dome light at night. Maintain a continuous
watch and do not let everyone in the vehicle sleep at the same
time.
If you must get out of your vehicle during the storm, tie a
lifeline to you and the vehicle.
Monitor the latest weather reports, if possible, and wait
patiently for the storm to subside.
You can probably expect that the blizzard conditions will affect press coverage of events at Standing Rock. Moreover, this will test the preparedness of the camps and the Standing Rock Tribe’s responsibility for camp safety conditions. This pending weather may also be why the Chief of the Standing Rock Tribe has called today for all non-Sioux participants to leave the camp.
Over the next 7 days, daily high temperatures will be in the single digits for Morton County:
www.wunderground.com/...
Army Corps of Engineers Decision Memorandum
I’ve seen absolutely no mention of this December 4, 2016 Army Corps of Engineers decision memorandum in any of the press coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline matter:
http://mwalliancenow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Document-65-1.pdf
Note that the memo and decision is not a revocation of the July, 2016 permitting under the Rivers and Harbors Act and Clean Water Act addressing Dakota Access Pipeline at the proposed Lake Oahe crossing.
The memo reveals that 4 portions of the record were held as confidential and were not provided or shared with the public or the Standing Rock Tribe up to the present time. These included material on spill modeling, engineering risk assessment on horizontal drilling/boring, detailed materials on the northern route planning alternative and environmental justice analysis. [See paragraph #5))
The lawyers on all sides of the DAPL issue will be putting every word of this memo under an analytical microscope…..and the federal judge at the DC District Court is apparently scheduled to hold a hearing on Energy Transfer Partner’s motion to grant the Lake Oahe crossing easement next week. What effect the memo will have on judicial review of the Army Corps decision under the Federal Administrative Procedures Act will be contested between the parties and will likely end up being the subject of a judicial finding in a decision after the court hearing next week.
The decision memo explicitly defends the legal legitimacy of all past Army Corps of Engineers decisionmaking on the proposed Lake Oahe crossing. The memo also contemplates the possibility that the existing installed/completed route and the existing proposed crossing at Lake Oahe could still be approved after supplementation of the record called for by the memo. (See paragraph #12).