Red Lake Treaty Camp, MN
“It’s nothing but greed” DV said about Enbridge’s Line 3, a tar sands pipeline with devastating ecological & human consequences. The pipeline crosses Ojibwe territory violating international laws protecting indigenous rights & construction is opposed by an indigenous led resistance supported by environmental & social justice activists.
The construction is a 24/7 assault of excavators, drills & other heavy machinery on a pristine wilderness illuminated by smoky skies, red sunsets, and harsh floodlights. BadAss Grandma called the construction as “environmental genocide”. Enbridge already dumped over 10,000 gallons of drilling waste in fragile ecosystems that host endangered species including the Higgins’ eye mussel and and indigenous food sources like wild rice. Enbridge also depletes local watersheds and plans to pump 5 billion gallons of freshwater during construction in a region currently facing droughts and wildfires.
The violence of construction itself foreshadows the future environmental costs of tar sands mining & refinement. Annual operations of the pipeline have an estimated carbon impact equivalent of 17 million cars & the state of Minnesota anticipates $287 billion of environmental damages over the next 30 years.
This pipeline showcases the continued resistance of native people against genocidal capitalist colonial powers. Broken treaties, physical assault & a legal system designed to oppress are nothing new. Enbridge paid over $750,000 from a 2 million dollar escrow account to police departments in a regional police taskforce that coordinates with Enbridge to monitor the pipeline & suppress protests, yet protests persist despite the tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets & pain compliance tactics.
“How can they see someone chained to the drill and not care” said @quiiroico following a direct action in which police knocked several protestors unconscious and broke someone’s leg. The police hurt people & selectively enforce laws in favor of international corporations to protect destructive infrastructure and colonial power structures.