Dr. Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, Green Party Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, joined the call for an immediate halt to construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would violate US treaties by endangering the drinking water and sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

If constructed as planned, the Dakota Access Pipeline would transport roughly 470,000 barrels of crude oil daily over the Missouri River less than a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux territory. Thousands of peaceful protesters have come to the area to support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Authorities and police have been arresting and detaining many of them under trumped up charges and false accusations of violence.

"We salute the courageous people of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation and their allies who are standing up to protect their land and our future on Earth from the poisonous fossil fuel industry and an economy that puts corporate profits over people and planet," said Stein.

"The time is now to stop the destruction of our planet for short-term profits. Extreme weather exacerbated by climate change shows why we need to immediately say no to fossil fuel expansion, and say yes to wind, water and solar. Transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy, as our Green New Deal program will do, is the path to ending unemployment, halting climate meltdown, and building a healthier society. It provides a just transition that respects the lives, lands, and livelihoods of Native American communities. It's also the only way forward to a future in which we can survive and thrive."

"We must follow the lead of Indigenous communities that have protected their land for countless generations, and work together and in solidarity to leave a thriving planet for future generations and all living beings," concluded Baraka.

Photo credit: NPR