One of the most distressing environmental crises and threats to indigenous civil liberties is occurring within the United States at present as the construction of the Line 3 pipeline ensues.
But what exactly is this pipeline? The Line 3 pipeline is owned by Enbridge Inc, a Canadian crude oil and natural gas distribution company that operates over 3,000 miles of pipelines across North America. The new Line 3 pipeline would be responsible for transporting 760,000 barrels of tar sands crude oil each day from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin. This pipeline would be replacing the existing Line 3 and include the crossing of 200 water ecosystems and 20 rivers, including the Mississippi River twice. Also, the construction poses a violation to the treaty rights of the Anishinaabeg since it crosses through their lands and threatens their primary areas of hunting, cultural resources, and farming - especially the wild rice which the Ojibwe people rely on for survival - which was promised to be protected in the 1855 treaty territory.
So the construction of the new pipeline is obviously going to be infringing upon the rights of the Indigenous people whose land it will occupy, but Line 3 also produces numerous environmental issues. The extraction of tar sand, which is a mixture of sand, clay, and water, soaked with bitumen (petroleum), alone destroys ecosystems, releases toxic air into the atmosphere, and pollutes the surrounding waters. The actual conversion of the mixture into a usable fuel source is highly carbon-intensive, producing 15% more emissions than other crude oil processing procedures. The operations required to access tar sand deposits are highly destructive as the trees and top-soil must be removed. Additionally, after the bitumen has been removed from the sand, the remaining soil is highly toxic and results in the creation of toxic ponds which are used as the dumping sites for these toxic leftovers. Not to mention that in order to produce one barrel of oil, processing requires nearly 5 gallons of freshwater, which is acquired through the draining of nearby rivers and lakes. Even more concerning, especially for the waterways and ecosystems surrounding pipeline construction, is the lubrication used to position prefabricated pipeline sections. The lubricating material is drilling mud, which if leaked can cause serious polluting damage to the surrounding area. It is worth mentioning that these kinds of accidents have already occurred several times during the Line 3 construction but since they are not reported by Enbridge, could be even more than what is known.
Because of these possible disastrous effects on both the people and ecosystems around Line 3, its construction has been met with ongoing protests and attempts to halt construction. Indigenous and environmental groups have been opposing the project since 2014 by attending court hearings, filing lawsuits, and calling upon politicians to act in their favor. On public record, there are 68,000 people who oppose Line 3. Despite this resistance, permits for construction were approved in November 2020. However, the fight continues as water protectors have set up camps along the pipeline route, successfully delaying construction one day at a time. But this work is dangerous as water protectors are putting themselves in the way of construction equipment and police. To date, over 600 people have been arrested, mostly for trespassing, for protesting the pipeline.
While the permits for the pipeline were approved under the Trump administration, President Biden is yet to repeal those actions despite his adamant promises of addressing climate change. His presidency has come with commendable environmental actions such as the rejoining of the Paris climate agreement and the cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline, but these actions will mean nothing if other environmentally damaging projects continue. By allowing Line 3 to be completed, America’s commitment for and dependence on nonrenewable sources of energy is strengthened. The only way for the nation and the world to guarantee a future is to finally start taking progressive actions to fundamentally change how we live in a way that does not kill the planet.
There are many ways to get involved in this fight. Here are just some of those ways:
Write to President Biden, your City Council members and County Commissioners, or the US Army Corps of Engineers to publicly oppose the pipeline
Donate to organizations such as Honor the Earth which support Indigenous-led advocacy, education, and litigation to Stop Line 3.
Educate yourself beyond this article about Line 3 and share that information with your community
Follow organizations and indigenous creators that are resisting Line 3. Here are a few: @quiiroi, @ugrunna, @modern_warrior__, and @giiwedinindizhinikaaz on TikTok and @oilandwaterdontmixcoalition on Facebook
The fight to stop Line 3 construction is far from over, but time is running out. This movement is in desperate need of support and attention. Visit stopline3.org to learn more ways to help and continue educating yourself and others.
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