St Paul, MN - On October 28, despite rain and falling temperatures, 50 activists picketed at the Army Corps of Engineers offices in downtown Saint Paul to call for the Corps to pull the permits for the Line 3 oil pipeline and to conduct a full environmental review.
Construction on Line 3 has been completed and it has Canadian tar sands oil, the dirtiest petroleum in the world, flowing through it. Opposition to this toxic flow continues to grow in defiance of political repression and the wishful thinking of the fossil fuel industry.
Tribal elders from the Red Lake Treaty Camp opened the action with a prayer and thanked everyone for coming to stand up for the water and treaty rights which are trampled on by the pipeline project. Activists want to hold the Army Corps of Engineers accountable. The Corps has never conducted a full environmental review of the pipeline project, ignoring their stated core missions of “environmental regulation” and “ecosystem restoration.”
The Line 3 pipeline crisscrosses over lakes and waterways in Minnesota, including the Mississippi River, which is a major source of fresh water throughout the country. "We are here today because the Army Corps of Engineers needs to do its job as stewards of the environment," stated Line 3 fighter Kelly Thomas, who is also an activist with the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar. The need for continued resistance was emphasized by Megan Palmer from the Climate Justice Committee (CJC), explaining that every day oil flows through a pipeline is a risk for a major oil spill.
The CJC initiated the picket line, continuing the #StopLine3 pressure, joining with youth activists who walked out from classes earlier that day and with the International Indigenous Youth Council (IIYC) that also coordinated a day of action on October 29, against Chase Bank and other major funders of the Line 3 oil pipeline. By Kent Mori and Tracy Molm | Published first by Fight Back! News
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