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Bernie Sanders Joins Rally Against Dakota Access Pipeline in DC

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined a rally outside the White House on Tuesday, where he condemned the Dakota Access Pipeline and expressed his solidarity with the Native American people. The solidarity rally with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has filed a lawsuit against the pipeline, was organised by 350.org, Sierra Club and other environmental groups. Since it was approved in late July, the 1,172 mile pipeline has sparked outrage among Native American communities and locals. The project, which would cost around $3.8 billion dollars, is expected to carry crude oil from the North Dakota region through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois, if completed. Standing Rock Sioux worry that the pipeline, which is slated to travel just north of the tribe's lands and through several nearby rivers which provide water to the tribe, could contaminate their water supply. Thousands of Native Americans representing tribes from all over the country have travelled to North Dakota to camp in the solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux.