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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tribe calls for pipeline opponents to boycott Bismarck

Protesters against the Dakota Access oil pipeline congregate Monday, Nov. 21, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D., on a long-closed bridge on a state highway near their camp in southern North Dakota. The bridge was the site of the latest skirmish between protesters and law officers, in which officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray, and authorities say protesters assaulted officers with rocks and burning logs. (James MacPherson / AP)
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. – The leader of the Cheyenne River Sioux in South Dakota is urging all opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to boycott businesses in North Dakota’s capital city.

The tribal council voted in September to not spend money in Bismarck, and Chairman Harold Frazier at the time called on all tribal members to join the effort.

Frazier wrote a letter to other tribal leaders and supporters on Tuesday hoping to broaden the boycott.

Bismarck City Administrator Keith Hunke says that’s disappointing because Bismarck isn’t involved in the dispute over the $3.8 billion pipeline that’s to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois.

The Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes are fighting the project, saying it threatens reservation drinking water and cultural sites.