Dear president-elect Biden,

It's time to stop the desecration of sacred lands with unwanted, unneeded pipelines which endanger critical, life-giving water systems in Lakota Country. Please keep your campaign promise to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline (KXL), but don't stop there. It's also time to end the illegal Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) once and for all.

DAPL poses a critical threat to Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, the primary source of fresh drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and millions of others. KXL's completion would create a similar threat to the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides most of the water for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and many other residents of America's heartland.

Please take what steps you can to decommission these pipelines immediately upon taking office. This would provide a counterpoint to President Trump's executive orders to fast-track them in his first days as president. DAPL's oil continues to flow even as its environmental approval process has been ruled insufficient by a U.S. District Court. KXL is also mired in legal wrangling over environmental concerns. Use the power of your office to work closely with Native Americans and show that you take Indigenous concerns seriously.

Your nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior was a meaningful step in the right direction. Please listen to her, to the leaders of tribal nations, and to people the world over when we say: no more pipelines; no more desecration of sacred lands; respect our water and our lives.

Stop KXL and DAPL for the good of all Americans and our allies all over the world. It's time to replace outdated, dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure with renewable energy. You can build the world of tomorrow and a sustainable future for the generations to come.

With respect and in hope for a better future,

Your Name