Tester calls for calm in reservation pipeline protest

Montana Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is calling for calm as protests against a proposed oil pipeline on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota continue to draw the interest of Native Americans across Montana and the county.

“This process will probably play out in court and I hope that all sides can remain peaceful and hope folks can get their point across without violence,” Tester said Wednesday during a telephone press conference.

Tester, who sits on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said that while pipelines are the safest way to transport oil and gas, the rights of property owners and Native American tribes should be respected.

“And, quite frankly, you can move the pipeline a bit and not build through sacred land,” Tester said.

In recent weeks, members of the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation have traveled to the campsite where protesters have gathered to lend their support to the Standing Sioux.

Protesters and critics of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline say the planned 1,172-mile-long route that would run through the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota  was approved by the Army Corp of Engineers without consulting the tribe to determine whether the land affected by construction is of historical or cultural significance. Others worry that possible oil spills could contaminate the groundwater.

Some online accounts said some sacred sites were already damaged by construction equipment.

A temporary court order has halted the construction.

A federal decision on whether construction on the pipeline can resume is expected Friday.