I'm certain you are right that there is a significant amount of anti-pipeline, anti-petroleum extraction/burning slant to the various media, playing to those prejudices held (with some justification) by a significant number of citizens. As I wrote earlier the original pipeline route was south of Standing Rock Reservation and would have crossed the Missouri River upstream of the water intakes for Bismarck/Fort Berthold. There was a big stink, and the pipeline operator decided the Indians wouldn't make a stink. They were wrong. Probably Trump can get the new route pushed through, but the Indians won't like it, even if they are indemnified against damages and paid a bribe. If that turns out to be a mutually beneficial solution, so be it; my point is that the Indians think they are getting doubly screwed, and they are right to think so.

In my opinion, some pipeline route carrying Bakken crude to refineries is economically important. Our economy still runs on petroleum.