"North Dakota Governor Orders Pipeline Protesters Expelled"

"North Dakota's governor ordered the expulsion of thousands of Native American and environmental activists camped on federal property near an oil pipeline project they are trying to halt, citing hazards posed by harsh weather as a blizzard bore down on the area.

The "emergency evacuation" order from Governor Jack Dalrymple came days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the site, set a Dec. 5 deadline for the demonstrators to vacate their encampment, about 45 miles (72 km) south of Bismarck, the state capital.

The Army Corps has insisted, however, that it has no plans to forcibly remove protesters, many of them members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The agency instead urged a "peaceful and orderly transition to a safer location.""

Terray Sylvester reports for Reuters November 29, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Police Treating Dakota Access Protesters 'Like an Enemy on the Battlefield,' Groups Say" (InsideClimate News)

"“We know how to live in winter. We have been here always”" (Indigenous Environmental Network)

"Shocking Moment US Police Douse Pipeline Protesters In Subfreezing Weather" (Telegraph)

"North Dakota Pipeline: Protesters Vow To Stay Despite Evacuation Order" (CNN)

"Army Corps Announces It Won't Forcibly Remove Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters" (Reuters)

"North Dakota Governor Orders Evacuation Of Standing Rock Protest Site, But No Forcible Removals Planned" (Los Angeles Times)

"Arrests of Journalists at Standing Rock Test the Boundaries of the First Amendment" (The Intercept)