I don't think all the idiots (greenies and protesters) from everywhere but ND/MN understand what the oil boom has done to day-to-day living along the railway. Obviously it has slowed with the lower gas prices. But the use of pipelines allows towns like Fargo/Moorhead to actually be productive. You have no idea what the impact a train can have on a split community with track running through them.
Fargo/Moorhead is well over 100,000 people an has the BNSF railway running through the center of it. As soon as the oil started flowing, we saw no less than a loaded or empty oil train every 15-20 minutes. It literally shut traffic down for most of Moorhead, and a majority of downtown Fargo.
The cost of the pipeline can be easily justified when compared to rail. But rail is the only real option without it. You can bet one wealthy rail baron has his finger on all these protesters and pushing every button he can to maintain that rail business. It has impacted every community in ND and Western MN.
So just like a crazy election, there is way more going on here than upset natives, as they are probably the most peaceful of the bunch until they get agitated either by their own causes, or something stirred up by someone with way more skin in the game than potential polluted water. (did I mention a train every 15 minutes?)
