BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has asked North Dakota lawmakers to do more to protect public safety and the environment during the state's unprecedented oil boom.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault addressed a joint session of the North Dakota House and Senate on Thursday. Archambault says the state's oil boom has brought people and prosperity to the state but it also has brought problems.
Archambault says communities within North Dakota's five American Indian reservations have seen ``dramatic increases'' in violent crimes since the oil boom began.
Archambault says the state, federal and tribal governments also must increase oversight to protect the land and water from oil-related environmental impacts.