Despite Setbacks, Line 3 Protests Continue

As construction on the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline continues, so too does resistance against its completion. The Fire Light Camp set up base near La Salle Lake for eight days before being escorted out by the Clearwater County Sheriff, at the request of Enbridge. 

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Tiffany Bui reports:

As construction on the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline continues, so too does resistance against its completion.

In northern Minnesota, protesters have set up several camps along the pipeline route to stop construction work from advancing. The Fire Light Camp set up base near La Salle Lake for eight days before being escorted out by the Clearwater County Sheriff, at the request of Enbridge.  

During the occupation, the Indigenous women of the RISE Coalition led activists in marches and ceremonies. One of the leaders, Nancy Beaulieu, said the encampment serves as a reminder of the treaties signed between the US government and American Indian tribes.

“The intent of those treaties were to live in peace, and to leave the earth in a better way than we found it,” explained Beaulieu. “Treaties are nonpartisan, and it isn’t a matter of choice – it’s an agreement that we have. And agreements are legal and binding – treaties are very much alive today as the day they were signed.”

These treaty agreements protect American Indians’ right to hunt, gather and fish. Activists say the risk of a pipeline oil spill runs counters to these rights – and threatens the environment during an ongoing climate crisis.

“We can’t count on Walmart and bottled water to save the future,” quipped Beaulieu.

A Minnesota Court of Appeals decision has presented a major setback for the movement, as judges backed key project permits for Enbridge on Monday.

Audio credit: Honor the Earth

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