The Coachella Valley Number ‘One’ Desert Local Newspaper
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STAR W E E K L Y
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA
Two paws up for new Rancho Mirage dog park, see page 12. Photo by Pat Krause
PERMIT NO 00005
December 7, 2016 Vol. 9 No. 98
Victory for Standing Rock The Dakota Access Corporation was not granted the easement needed to built pipeline. By Desert Star Staff STANDING ROCK — Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would not be granting an easement under Lake Oahe for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross the Missouri River a half mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. The Corps further
stated that it plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for alternative routes. These actions trigger a new round of public involvement processes to permit the final piece of the pipeline as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The decision is major victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
and all who stood in solidarity over the last few months. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, represented by Earthjustice, brought a lawsuit against the Corps for its approvals for the pipeline in July of this year. The lawsuit claimed that the Corps violated multiple environmental and historic preservation statutes, focusing
By Desert Star Staff From recount efforts to criticism of the Electoral College as an institution and death threats to some electors, the aftermath of the US presidential election has become no less controversial than the campaign itself – and the heat is far from over. Jill Stein-initiated efforts to recount votes. The recount effort underway in three states – Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania – spearheaded by Green Party candidate Jill Stein is being opposed in all states by lawsuits from Donald Trump supporters. On Friday, a lawsuit was filed on the President-elect’s behalf to stop the ballot review in Michigan, the state where
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 10,700 votes. Unless a court intervenes, a recount could start in that state as soon as next Wednesday. While Stein has asked a federal judge to order Michigan to quickly begin the recount, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has stepped in with an effort to “immediately” prohibit the recount. “The Attorney General asks this Court to immediately issue a writ of mandamus to prohibit the recount of presidential ballots because Stein is not an aggrieved candidate under Michigan law,” Republican Schuette wrote in his lawsuit, stressing that Stein only received approximately one percent of the nearly 4.8 million ballots cast in
the state on November 8. Prior to that, in Wisconsin, two pro-Trump super PACs filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Wisconsin, arguing that Stein is “not entitled” to a ballot recount, warning that the whole effort could “cast doubt on upon the legitimacy of President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s victory.” Trump, who is touring part of the US with his “Thank You Tour,” made the same claims in a lawsuit filed on his behalf by the Republican Party and his campaign in Pennsylvania. Their main argument points to Stein’s failure to provide any evidence that the state’s electronic voting machines had malfunctioned or been hacked.
on the decision to reroute the pipeline from Bismarck, North Dakota to the doorstep of the Standing Rock reservation without and adequate environmental analysis and consultation. At various times, pipeline construction has been subject to court injunctions due to the litigation. The Corps granted permits
for the pipeline in July 2016 under a highly streamlined approval process known as Nationwide Permitting. The process circumvents any kind of close environmental review and public process. The Lake Oahe crossing requires an additional approval — known Continues on Page 6
Electoral system shaken, calls for recounts underline tensions in US
Continues on Page 6
Jill Stein-initiated efforts to recount votes