On Oct. 13, via a story published on EcoWatch, it was learned that Deia Schlosberg, the producer of my new climate change documentary, How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change, and a former student from Newark Valley, was arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota for filming a protest against a pipeline bringing Canadian tar sands oil into the U.S.<\/p>\n
According to EcoWatch, Schlosberg was charged with Class A and C felony charges that carry a 45-year maximum sentence, combined. The charges include two Class A felony charges and one Class C felony charge, and conspiracy to theft of property, conspiracy to theft of services, and conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service.<\/p>\n
In response to this arrest, Josh Fox, an American film director, playwright and environmental activist, best known for his Oscar-nominated 2010 documentary Gasland<\/i>, launched a letter writing campaign in outrage of this arrest.<\/p>\n
In his posting on EcoWatch, Fox stated, \u201cThis should send a chill down the spine of every documentary filmmaker and journalist. In my view, the North Dakota police are in violation of the First Amendment, charging a documentary filmmaker with conspiracy rather than viewing her as a reporter \/ journalist exercising her First Amendment rights is unfair, unjust and illegal. We need a show of support right now for Deia’s immense courage and for the First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of this reporting, we do not know the disposition of the charges filed against Schlosberg.<\/p>\n
The Dakota Access Pipeline Project is a new approximate 1,172-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline that will connect the rapidly expanding Bakken and Three Forks production areas in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.<\/p>\n
According to the Dakota Access Pipeline Project, the pipeline will enable domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to reach major refining markets in a more direct, cost-effective, safer and environmentally responsible manner. They added that the pipeline will also reduce the current use of rail and truck transportation to move Bakken crude oil to major U.S. markets to support domestic demand.<\/p>\n
But this project has been met with much protest, and resistance.<\/p>\n
According to a NBC news release, a protest of the four-state, $3.8 billion oil pipeline turned violent after tribal officials say construction crews destroyed American Indian burial and cultural sites on private land in southern North Dakota.<\/p>\n
A publication called \u201cFrackNation\u201d also released news regarding the plight of the journalists that were trying to film these protests.<\/p>\n
According to FrackNation, Journalists Phelim McAleer and Magdalena Segieda were subjected to a 30-minute ordeal after being attacked by Dakota Access Pipeline protestors while conducting interviews at the Sacred Stone Camp in Bismark, North Dakota.<\/p>\n
“It was a terrifying 30 minutes,” stated McAleer in the release.<\/p>\n
“There is a lot of talk about love and peace at the camp but yesterday we got a look at the reality behind the talk and it was an ugly violent reality,” he added.<\/p>\n
According to USA Today, many oppose\u00a0the pipeline over concerns that it could disturb Native American\u00a0land, including sacred sites, and poison the drinking water on a reservation \u2014 and for millions who rely on that drinking water.<\/p>\n