Water Protectors Occupy the Iowa Utilities Board

The morning at 9AM starts with a Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Training from the Catholic Workers of Des Moines at 1310 7th Street, Des Moines Iowa. From there, at 12PM the citizens will mobilize to the Iowa Utilities Board at 1375 E Court Avenue. The training is important to attend, “to ensure the spirit of the action will be nonviolent and civil,” said Frank Cordaro, an organizer of the training.

The Iowa Utilities Board has overseen the Dakota Access Pipeline construction here in Iowa and many Iowans feel that the Board has done an inadequate job. Next Thursday, December 15th, will be a court appearance that the Board has in front of the Courts of Iowa for misusing Eminent Domain for the benefit of a private corporation while not properly enforcing its own codes of conduct.

Jessica Reznicek, of Iowa, started a hunger strike in front of the Iowa Utilities Board demanding a meeting with the appointed board members. She went without food and shelter in front of the Board for over 12 days and no response from the Board. Her actions did result in her arrest for occupying a public space.

A day after the Army Corps of Engineers announcement of not granting permits to Dakota Access LLC to continue construction up in North Dakota, the company responded defiantly stating that it is “fully committed to ensuring that this … project is brought to completion and fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any additional rerouting in and around Lake Oahe. Nothing this Administration has done today changes that in any way.”


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