Alaska News

Where campaign and pipeline politics meet: In Anchorage, 2 groups push for change at federal level

For the second weekend in a row, Alaskans supporting the efforts of Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters in North Dakota gathered in Midtown Anchorage for a local rally, their ranks visibly growing.

Supporters of U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller waved signs a short distance from the rally Saturday. They said there are some similarities between their two groups — recognition of sovereignty and a desire to rein in government overreach.

Miller mingled with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe supporters, as did political opponent Margaret Stock.

Saturday's rally crowd at The Mall at Sears parking lot was about double the size of the group that gathered there a week ago, supporting the notion by attendants that the movement is strengthening.

[Read more: Activists gather in Anchorage in solidarity with Dakota Access pipeline protest]

More than 100 people lined the Seward Highway near Northern Lights Boulevard as the rally entered its second hour.

"It's everyone's water," said Sonia Vent, referring to the Missouri River, which the pipeline would cross. "I feel if a similar event were to happen up here, we would want the same support."

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The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is engaged in a protest to fight the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, a $3.7 billion project that would cross four states and alter the landscapes it traverses.

Opponents across the country say the pipeline would result in an environmental disaster and destroy sacred Native American sites. The focus has also shifted to the clash between law enforcement and protesters gathering near the project. The Morton County Sheriff's Office has said police are in a "standoff with protesters" while activists say protesters are peaceful.

[The view from 2 sides of the Standing Rock front lines]

Crissy Elliot is one of the organizers of this week's support rally in Anchorage for Standing Rock. Her grandmother Joann Elliot, who lives in Arizona, is a member of the Sioux tribe, she said. The elder Elliot visited the protests near the pipeline, which encouraged Crissy to take action.

"I feel like I really need to be there, and do something here," she said. The rally organizer used the term "water protectors" when referring to the protesters. That designation has been their preference.

She recalled the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that resulted in hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil spilling into Prince William Sound.

"My mother was there for the cleanup of that spill, and these things have the possibility of repeating," Crissy Elliot said.

Others at the rally echoed that sentiment.

Vent, a member of the Huslia tribe, cited the need to protect water as her primary reason for attending the rally. Military veteran Samuel Thomas-Shields said no one can live without water.

Miller said the most important issue revolving around Standing Rock is private property and the right to protest. No matter the reason, the protesters are within their rights, he said. He called the response to the protesters by law enforcement "atrocious."

"I don't want to presume to talk for this group, but I believe that they have a perception that the system is rigged," Miller said.

Refocusing the national event on Alaska, Miller said the Dakota Access pipeline would be marginal in terms of energy development and would not have reached this point if Alaska's own resources were better managed.

[Obama says US mulling alternate routes for North Dakota pipeline]

Bill Topel, a Miller supporter, said the rally's attendants were somewhat comparable to Miller's political leanings. The federal government fails to recognize the sovereignty of individuals, states and Native Americans, including Alaska Natives, he said.

"The federal government is grabbing land, and it belongs to the people," he said. "Development or not, it's up to the people."

Vent, a stone's throw from the waving Joe Miller signs, was less certain the Libertarian candidate represented the people at Standing Rock. Miller, Donald Trump and Mike Pence do not represent the movement, she said.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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