MAIN coalition spox Craig Stevens issued the following statement on the North Dakota National Guard’s activation

ByClient Editor

Earlier today, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said that he would activate members of North Dakota’s National Guard to the site of recent protests near Cannonball. The MAIN Coalition supports this decision.

Below is a statement from Craig Stevens, spokesman for the MAIN Coalition:

Due to the emotionally charged and escalating atmosphere surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline, we agree with Governor Dalrymple’s decision to activate the National Guard to help maintain a peaceful environment.  Protesters should be able to peaceably convene, however individuals should also be able to conduct their work in a safe and harassment-free environment. 

The pipeline is sited along a long-utilized energy corridor that has undergone significant construction over the past few decades and of which state archeologists issued a ‘no significant sites affected’ determination several months ago.  The pipeline will not cross into the Standing Rock Sioux’s reservation and, once operational, will be among the safest, most technologically advanced pipelines ever constructed.