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MPR News Staff

Inside the Dakota Access Pipeline protest

Grace Caisson Miller, Maureen Zieber
Grace Caisson Miller right, a member of the Mi'kmaq tribe, and Maureen Zieber of the Nanticoke Oneida tribe, left, both from Delaware, join a rally outside the U.S, District Court in Washington on Aug. 24.
Manuel Balce Ceneta | AP file

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Gracey Claymore, a 19-year-old member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, has had her life turned upside down by the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Proposed route for Dakota Access Pipeline
The proposed route of the Dakota Access Pipeline travels through the Dakotas and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois.
Graphic from Energy Transfer's Dakota Access website

A federal appeals court Sunday opened the door for construction to resume on a small stretch of that proposed $3.8 billion pipeline while it considers an appeal by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Tribal leaders vowed to keep fighting the pipeline's construction.

In the last few months, Gracey has inspired young people and organized young tribal members across the U.S. to join the protest at the Camp of the Sacred Stones. She was also part of a delegation that went to Washington, D.C., where she testified before Congress and met President Barack Obama.

She spoke to host Tom Weber about her struggle to be a normal teenager and to organize protests.

To listen to the entire conversation with Gracey, select the audio link above.