TRUMP FLEXED HIS PRESIDENTIAL POWERS YET AGAIN LAST WEEK TO PROTECT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER BY INCREASING SECURITY AND BUILDING A WALL ALONG THE U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER. BUT THAT’S NOT THE LAST OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS! IN FACT, ANOTHER EXECUTIVE ACTION PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON A STORY WE COVERED EARLIER THIS SEASON.
IN NORTH DAKOTA, HUNDREDS OF NATIVE AMERICANS THERE ARE FIGHTING CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE, WHICH IS BEING BUILT TO SEND OIL ACROSS FOUR STATES TO ILLINOIS. SOME NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES SAY THE PIPELINE CUTS ACROSS SACRED GROUNDS AND COULD CONTAMINATE WATER.
WHEN WE COVERED THIS STORY IN SEPTEMBER, MANY OF YOU WROTE IN VOICING YOUR OPINION, LIKE SOPHIE FROM MARYLAND ELEMENTARY, WHO WROTE: “I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD NOT PUT IN THE PIPELINE, BECAUSE IT WOULD RUIN NATIVE TERRITORIES THAT BELONG TO THEIR FAMILIES. ALSO, PUTTING IN PIPELINES WOULD RUIN THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY IN NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, IOWA, AND ILLINOIS.”
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PIPELINE HAD BEEN STALLED DUE TO THE PROTESTS – BUT, LAST WEEK, PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ADVANCE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PIPELINE. TRUMP AND SUPPORTERS OF THE PIPELINE SAY IT MEANS JOBS AND LESS DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.
SO, WE’VE JUST TOLD YOU ABOUT A FEW OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ACTIONS – WHICH ADDRESSED HIS TWO KEY CAMPAIGN PROMISES: TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE AND BRING BACK JOBS. BUT, NOW, WE WANT YOU TO STEP INTO THE PRESIDENT’S SHOES AND TELL US: WHAT WOULD YOUR EXECUTIVE ACTION BE? IMAGINE YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING ABOUT OUR COUNTRY WITH THE FLICK OF A PEN. WRITE TO US AND TELL US WHAT IT WOULD BE!
Instructional Links
Website Article: National Geographic Kids, Mexico
Website Article: CNN, Enrique Peña Nieto Fast Facts
Map: New York Times, The Conflicts Along 1,172 Miles of the Dakota Access Pipeline
Video: PBS LearningMedia, The American Experience, Building the Alaska Pipeline | Includes discussion questions
Website Article: Pipeline Safety Trust, Pipeline Info for Beginners