BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Native American tribal leaders’ biennial address to the North Dakota Legislature will not happen in 2017, a committee said Thursday in deciding to forgo formal events at the state Capitol due to security reasons involving the Dakota Access pipeline protests.
The 10-3 vote by the North Dakota Legislative Management Committee means there’ll be no presentations from the state’s chief justice or tribal leaders when lawmakers reconvene Jan. 3. The measure exempts the governor’s State of the State address, which is required by state law.
Ongoing protests of the four-state, $3.8 million pipeline in southern North Dakota have “significantly strained” law enforcement and the state Highway Patrol, which provides security at the state Capitol. Nearly 500 people have been arrested since August, the encampments show no sign of breaking up and there have been four large organized protests in the Bismarck-Mandan area this week; Thursday’s protests in Bismarck led to eight arrests.
“We’re trying to be proactive,” Carlson said. “In no way is this infringing on anyone’s First Amendment rights. History shows up in recent months that we need to be cautious.”