Pipeline Battle Set To Harm U.S. Energy Independence

Protests against new oil and gas pipeline construction are becoming more or less part of everyday life in the U.S. and Canada. Keystone XL, Dakota Access, Enbridge’s Line 5, Energy East, you name it. There seem to be dozens of new pipelines in the works, and almost all are the target of protests by environmentalists, Native American tribes and First Nations.

After the demise of the Keystone XL project, the Dakota Access pipeline seems to have garnered the most attention, with mass protests from Native American tribes and their supporters earlier this month succeeding in getting the project shelved – a move by the White House that energy industry insiders warned could set a dangerous precedent for other infrastructure projects, affecting the economic development of the country.