Dr. Bob Drost

MSU Today | 2017-02-27

“Accidents and leaks happen,” Bob Drost, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at MSU, said. “Some of the tribes have some particular issues right where the pipeline crosses the Missouri River. It would be devastating if something were to happen.”

The pipeline is not directly on native land, but it crosses the Missouri River, which could be a threat to the tribes who have reservations close to it.

“There are other tribes on the Missouri River.” Scott said. “It goes down to my reservation, the Winnebago in Nebraska, so if there was a leak it would come downstream to us.”

Drost said that the most significant effect on the environment, however, will be during the construction phase of the Pipeline.

“The pipeline isn’t going to be built in four weeks,” Drost said. “It’s going to be disturbed for a long period of time. Seasonal issues can come in place, especially migration and breeding. Once you take one little piece out of an ecosystem, it changes it. Do we have that guarantee that it’s going to be made as it once was?”