Governor Dalrymple Issues an Emergency Declaration Due to the Pipeline Protests

Governor Dalrymple has issued an emergency declaration due to the growth in protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

According to the Bismarck Tribune, the emergency declaration is for southwest and south central North Dakota.

With the high number of protesters (nearly 1,500 per day), many state agencies have had to increase their involvement. This emergency declaration starts the process for state agencies to receive additional funding. The main state agencies involved are the Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation and Department of Health. These agencies have been busy providing:

• On-Site Officers
• Portable Water Trailers
• A Medical Trailer
• A Road Detour
• Barriers and Signage

Greg Wills, director of the Homeland Security Division of the state Department of Emergency Services, predicts the cost of these resources to be between $750,000 and $1,000,000.

An emergency operations center will also be set up so the agencies can communicate and combine their resources.

Governor Dalrymple's emergency Declaration does not include the National Guard. The construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline has ben halted until Wednesday, August 24th.

[Bismarck Tribune]