“Treaty People Gathering” prepare for protest Monday in Northern Minnesota

More than 1000 Water Protectors and Indigenous Leaders for Treaty People are calling for the enbridge line 3 pipeline to be discontinued

MENAHGA, Minn. (KVRR)- “Pipelines go straight and rivers don’t,” said Winona LaDuke.

The line 3 pipeline is making headlines once again in Minnesota as water protectors are calling for it to be shut down.

“Cause you know this is a 915,000 barrel a day Tarzan pipeline project. This is the largest tar sand pipeline project in the world and the most expensive,” stated Winona LaDuke.

Enbridge is in the final stages of completing its 3 billion dollar pipeline across northern Minnesota and protests are expected to rise on Monday.

“Most of the river crossings are in this territory and most of the new pipe goes right through the heart of the 1855 treaty territory but more than that more than a giveaway of the land to the Enbridge corporation its giving away the water,” Winona LaDuke said.

The group “Treaty People Gathering” have been protesting against the pipeline saying that it violates treaty rights and are hoping that government officials and the president step in to shut it down.

“The Biden administration and the waltz administration have every opportunity to protect the human rights of Ojibwe people and the human rights of other people who are water protectors and to be a water protector is not to be a criminal,” Winona LaDuke stated.

In response to the protesting that will resume tomorrow, Enbridge released a statement saying in part :

“We recognize people have strong feelings about the energy we all use, and they have the right to express their opinions legally and peacefully.  Many of the groups involved in the Treaty People Gathering were parties to the review process…and during the past six years have repeatedly provided input that was heard and acted upon.
 
We hoped all parties would come to accept the outcome of the thorough, science-based review and multiple approvals of the project. Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review including 70 public comment meetings, appellate review and reaffirmation of a 13,500-page EIS, four separate reviews by administrative law judges, 320 route modifications in response to stakeholder input, and reviews and approvals from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (The only Tribe with “Treatment as a State” water quality authority along the pipeline route).
In fact the leadership of the two reservations crossed by current Line 3 have repeatedly expressed their support for Line 3’s permits.

So far protests have had relatively little impact on construction which is on track across five different construction zones working simultaneously along more than 330 miles replacing Line 3 in northern Minnesota.

It’s notable that the review that the result of six years of review lead the MN Public Utilities Commission to determine Line 3 replacement will:
o       better protect Minnesota’s waters and environment
o       NOT contribute to climate change
o       reduce impacts to Indigenous people

“This is a fifth of the world’s water and the state DNR is trashing it, they are Trashing it and we are done you know its time to protect the water so we can drink it,”

At this time, Minnesota elected officials and President Joe Biden have yet to respond to the call of action.

On Monday,  the group will have a march and rally at 10 a.m. at Coffee Pot Landing in Solway, MN.