Nick Blumenthal North Dakota Assignment

"North Dakota Oil Pipeline Battle: Who's Fighting and Why"
Main Idea: Protests against the North Dakota oil pipeline are continuing. Each side, for and against, has valid arguments. This article addresses those arguments and provides enough background information on the issue in order for readers to decide on their stance.

Pipeline Information and Safety

Protestor's Main Argument

Pro-pipeline Main Argument

"Neighbors Say North Dakota Pipeline Protests Disturb Lives and Livelihoods"
Main Idea: Residents near the building of the North Dakota oil pipeline are experiencing disruptions to both their livelihoods and their lives as a result of the ongoing protests against the pipeline.

"How the Standing Rock Sioux should have been able to stop that pipeline"
Main Idea: The Standing Rock Sioux Indians are not able to protect the land they hold sacred due to their impoverishment.

Shared Characteristics of the Articles:

  1. Images- The images give readers a visual to the article, they also help the reader better understand by showing the reader and example of the problem.
  2. Background Information- The background information provided helps the reader better understand the problem being discussed in the article.
  3. Introductory Paragraphs- The introductory paragraph acts as a "road map" for the rest of the article, showing the reader what is going to be discussed.
  4. Titles- The titles are beneficial to the readers' understanding of the article as they help clue the reader in as to what the main idea of the article is.
  5. Captions- The captions underneath each image help explain to the reader how the image it describes enhances the article.

The pipeline would be approximately 1,170 miles long and would transverse four states.

Were the pipeline to leak into the Missouri River, 1+ billion dollars and years may be spent to clean up the spill.

It is safer to move oil through pipelines than by vehicular transport.

Were the pipeline to break or leak, the environmental aftereffects could be catastrophic.

Some farmers argue that the pipeline would transverse through their private land.

The pipeline would run through land that the Indians' hold cultural significance to them.

Millions of dollars would go into local economies due to the pipeline.

The construction of the pipeline would supply 8,000-12,000 jobs.

The pipeline would be able to transport 470,000 barrels of oil each day.

The Indians cannot purchase the land next to their reservation because they do not own their reservation

The Sioux also do not have the funds to purchase the land.

If the Sioux could purchase the land they want to protect, then the pipeline would have to be relocated.

Residents are experiencing disruptions to their everyday activities such as buying food and boating because of the precautions the police have taken against the protestors.

The protests have created differences in the residents' every day lives such as how the police escort school buses.

Farmers have reported that the protestors have stolen hay, and if the protestors were to damage the farmers' property or release their livestock, then the farmers' likelihoods could be threatened.