DENVER Dine' Protest Proposed Saddle Butte Pipeline and Fracking of Chaco Region

SEVERAL DINE ADVOCATES, COLORADO ALLIES, and OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM MEXICO, UNITE TO PROTEST SADDLE BUTTE PIPELINE TO PREVENT FURTHER FRACKING, DESTRUCTION TO OUR PRECIOUS GROUND WATER, DESTRUCTION OF OUR COMMUNITIES, FAMILIES, AND LAND, and DESTRUCTION OF OUR SACRED SITES.

Dine' and advocates press statement
Censored News
Photos by Krystal Curley, Dine'
English/French
French translation by Christine Prat
July 24, 2015

Today a group of indigenous peoples representing North America and Mexico, came together to protest the proposed oil pipeline to be constructed by Saddle Butte Pipeline if approved permission by the U.S. Department of Interior.  
A one page bullet-point notice by the group was delivered to the Vice-President of Engineering, Wayne Swafford, who met the group outside the building they are located in downtown Denver, Colorado.  The notice to Saddle Back listed the following:

• We are the Caretakers of Land, Elders and the Children
• We are advocates for our land and stand united with our allies
• We unite to protest Saddle Butte’s plans to construct its proposed oil pipeline near our sacred Chaco canyon lands & the destruction of what fracking is doing to our precious drinking groundwater
• We are here today to protect Mother Earth and her western rocky backbone

The proposed oil pipeline will begin from south of Farmington and end near U.S. Interstate 40 where railroad tracks are closely aligned to the freeway.  The proposed path for the pipeline will go through the Navajo Nation, indigenous communities, and near the infamous Chaco Canyon that is home to Pueblo Bonito.  Chaco Canyon is sacred to indigenous peoples from the Southwest region of the United States into Mexico and Guatemala.   

Several questions were posed to Mr. Swafford that included his thoughts on the impact to sacred lands and if he wanted to say anything to the Navajo People & other indigenous peoples.  His response was that the oil needs to get from point A to point B and that it is the only way to get there.  He further stated that Saddle Butte does not produce oil and is only trying to make it a safer environment for everyone.

Saddle Butte pipeline, stay out of our communities. Protect what is sacred to us. Water, land, life and Chaco canyon.  We stand united to protect Mother Earth.

Etta Arviso and Ken Augustine of Caretakers of Land Elders and Children Association sent the delegation with a message to Saddle Butte Company in Denver.

For more information: Anna Rondon, Dine' [email protected]

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