In Lancaster County, a native American Tribe is trying to put an end to the pipeline project. The tribe wants an explanation from the drilling company, but the company says their tribe isn’t required one.
On January 5th, pipeline protestors stood along the Conestoga River, putting a temporary halt to work on the pipeline. One of the activists is a native American Chief who’s concerned the digging and drilling will ruin land he says is sacred.
Chief Carlos Whitewolf says, "If we have to make noise, protest and rally, block bulldozers, so be it."
Whitewolf will fight until plans for the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Project are cancelled.
He says, "We'll show them we're not sitting on our butts, we're doing something to protect these lands."
Whitewolf is part of the Northern Arawak Tribal Nation of Pennsylvania. He says his tribe came to Pennsylvania in 1898.
Whitewolf says, "We know this is not Arawak land, we understand this is Conestoga land, but the Conestoga tribe's been wiped out and we as a people feel it was our obligation to protect what they had."
Under state and federal regulations, Williams Partners contacted 34 tribes with historic affiliation to land located within the natural gas drilling area. But the Arawak's were never contacted.
Christopher Stockton is a spokesman for Williams Partners. He says, "Those lists are determined based on databases compiled and maintained at state levels like the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and federal level with U.S. National Park Service."
Whitewolf says, "Although this is not our tribe's land, we have concern because this is sacred land and we must fight for what's right."
Stockton says, "We are not going to route the pipeline through any type of burial ground or other sensitive area. Anyone who believes our tribal consultation was not complete, that's something they need to express those concerns to state agencies that maintained those databases."
But the tribe's stance isn't changing.
Whitewolf says, "We are here fighting for their burial sites because it's being desecrated as we speak."
Currently, Williams Partners is collecting soil samples along the Conestoga River to determine the least invasive construction method for Atlantic Sunrise. The project is designed to carry natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Southwestern Pennsylvania to the East Coast.
