Led by the Binghamton Animal Alliance (BAA), Binghamton University students joined the international protests against the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) on Tuesday as part of a national day of solidarity.

DAPL is a $3.8 billion project being undertaken by Energy Transfer Partners. The construction project will run a pipeline through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, which will require burrowing under the Missouri River. According to the protesters, the pipeline would disturb sacred lands, burial grounds and access to the Sioux tribe’s fresh drinking water from the Missouri River.

The pipeline would transport domestically produced oil from North Dakota to major U.S. markets, but would encroach on the 1851 and 1868 treaties the federal government signed to protect Native American reservations, according to the BAA protesters. The pipeline was originally supposed to go through Bismarck, North Dakota, but due to possible contamination was rerouted through the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation without consulting tribe leaders.

Starting at the Pegasus Statue around noon on Tuesday, BAA members and other students held signs and led a peaceful protest through Glenn G. Bartle Library and the Marketplace to raise awareness of the issue. Though the club primarily focuses on animal welfare, they also focus on social justice issues.

Jayd Alvarez, the vice president of BAA and a junior majoring in environmental studies, said they are protesting because they believe clean water is essential to life and should not be intruded for selfish benefits.

“Indigenous peoples’ right to their property is more important than big industries’ short-term profit,” Alvarez said. “We feel like their voices need to be heard because the government isn’t listening to them, the industry isn’t listening to them, so we just want to raise awareness so people start thinking about it.”

Protesters held signs that read “Water equals life,” “Protect the land,” “Protect the water” and “We stand with Standing Rock.” The protesters advocated for alternative fuel sources, clean energy and research into new ways of generating fuel. Club members also handed out small sheets that provided background information and links to petitions about the conflict in Standing Rock. They promoted the protest through their Instagram, Facebook and B-Engaged.

Bella Rubinton, a Student Association (SA) representative and junior double-majoring in Judaic studies and music, said she decided to come today in part because the SA recently passed a resolution in support of both the national protest and the campus protest.

“It’s important to show solidarity even though we’re obviously not anywhere near the Dakota Access pipeline; it’s important to show our support and spread the word about it,” Rubinton said.

David McEvoy, a junior majoring in biology, said that with the election over, it is now time to focus on the injustices occurring at Standing Rock.

“This is something that needs to be stopped now,” McEvoy said. “It’s been temporarily halted, which is a good sign but this needs to be permanently stopped. There is a militarized police presence facing off against very peaceful protestors who were literally trying to protect water for people to drink.”