{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=88093253-8BA7-4CDB-82FD-6E623434A398", "Heitkamp Statement on Attorney General Lynch Discussion with Morton County Sheriff Kirchmeier", "2016-12-02", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement on U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch\u2019s discussion with Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier regarding the Dakota Access pipeline.\r\n\u201cFor months I\u2019ve been working with the delegation and the governor to press the Administration to engage proactively with North Dakota law enforcement, and to deliver the concrete resources they need to keep our communities safe,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cIt's a step in the right direction that Attorney General Lynch reached out to Sheriff Kirchmeier on the challenges related to Dakota Access pipeline protests that our law enforcement on the ground are facing. But it's a conversation that is long overdue -- and it isn't enough. It's my hope that today's discussion is a step toward the U.S. Department of Justice working hand-in-hand with North Dakota's delegation -- as I've been calling for the agency to do for the past four months -- and leads to effectively keeping our communities, residents, protestors, and law enforcement safe so law enforcement gets the federal resources to do their jobs.\u201d\r\nFor the past several months, Heitkamp and her staff have been meeting regularly with local law enforcement, land owners, workers, and residents about the Dakota Access pipeline protests. She has had continued conversations with the White House, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Department of Interior to push for a final decision on the easement going under Lake Oahe. She has also been working in a joint effort with the federal delegation and Governor Jack Dalrymple to push for federal funds to provide law enforcement with needed resources to support public safety during the ongoing demonstrations. Just recently, Heitkamp spoke with a top official at the White House and specifically pressed him about how the president needs to act now to make a decision on whether to grant the easement and pushed for federal funds for law enforcement.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=88093253-8BA7-4CDB-82FD-6E623434A398"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.897843951359391, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}