Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

If the Atlantic Coast Pipeline were built, its 600-mile span would intersect territories of several Native American tribes. Since its proposal, “community activists, indigenous leaders, and environmentalists have called it a boondoggle that would threaten the fragile ecosystems, endangered species, and tribal lands in its path” (para. 1). Today, NC announced a delay in the process to request more information about the water impacts.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission created an environmental impact statement for the pipeline, a statement Kelly Martin of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign calls “woefully inadequate” (para. 5).  Ryan Emanuel, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University and a member of the Lumbee Tribe, says that “the state is doing the right thing by asking for more information on cumulative impacts,” especially because there would be disproportionate impacts on Native Americans in NC (para. 7). Donna Chavis, another Lumbee Tribe member, says, “‘Water has been integral to the life of native peoples here in Robeson County for generations… It would be a direct impact if there was any pollution or disturbance’” (para. 10).