Water Protectors Shut Down Five Tar Sands Pipelines in US Simultaneously
Early this morning, five water protectors successfully shut down five pipelines across the northern United States that were delivering tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada. The action was in support of the call for International Days of Prayer and Action for Standing Rock.
The individuals used manual safety valves and bolt cutters to access and shut down the flow of tar sands oil into the US. They are “calling on President Obama to use emergency powers to keep the pipelines closed and mobilize for the extraordinary shift away from fossil fuels now required to avert catastrophe.”
The five pipelines that were shut down are as follows:
1) Enbridge line 4, Leonard, MN
2) Enbridge line 67, Leonard, MN
3) TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline, Walhalla, ND
4) Spectra Energy’s Express pipeline, Coal Banks Landing, MT
5) Kinder-Morgan’s Trans-Mountain pipeline, Anacortes, WA
The actions were undertaken by Emily Johnson, 50, and Michael Foster, 52, of Seattle, WA, Annette Klapstein, 64, of Bainbridge Island, WA, Ken Ward, 59, of Corbett, OR, and Leonard Higgins, 64, of Eugene, OR.
Read the press release sent to Unicorn Riot about their actions:
“192 nations have agreed that average global temperature should not increase 1.5C° above baseline in order to avert climate change cataclysm. This objective cannot be met, and any hope of keeping temperature below even 2.0°C depends on a total ban on new fossil fuel extractions and an immediate end to oil sands and coal use. In the absence of any political leadership or legal mechanisms for accomplishing this, these individuals feel duty bound to halt the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels by personal direct action.” ~ press release
Below you can read more about the individual water protectors that undertook the direct action:
Ken Ward, 59, of Corbette, OR said,
“There is no plan of action, policy or strategy being advanced now by any political leader or environmental organization playing by the rules that does anything but acquiesce to ruin. Our only hope is to step outside polite conversation and put our bodies in the way. We must shut it down, starting with the most immediate threats — oil sands fuels and coal.“
Emily Johnston, 50, of Seattle, WA said,
“For years we’ve tried the legal, incremental, reasonable methods, and they haven’t been enough; without a radical shift in our relationship to Earth, all that we love will disappear. My fear of that possibility is far greater than my fear of jail. My love for the beauties of this world is far greater than my love of an easy life.”
Annette Klapstein, 64, of Bainbridge Island, WA said
“Like mothers everywhere, I act from a deep love that extends to all children and young people, and all living beings on this planet. I have signed hundreds of petitions, testified at dozens of hearings, met with most of my political representatives at every level, to very little avail. I have come to believe that our current economic and political system is a death sentence to life on earth, and that I must do everything in my power to replace these systems with cooperative, just, equitable and love-centered ways of living together. This is my act of love.“
Michael Foster, 52, of Seattle, WA said,
“I am here to generate action that wakes people up to the reality of what we are doing to life as we know it. All of our climate victories are meaningless if we don’t stop extracting oil, coal and gas now.“
Leonard Higgins, 64, of Eugene, OR said,
“Because of the climate change emergency, because governments and corporations have for decades increased fossil fuel extraction and carbon emissions when instead we must dramatically reduce carbon emissions; I am committed to the moral necessity of participating in nonviolent direct action to protect life.“
Livestream videos and photos available here: shutitdown.today & facebook.com/climatedirectaction
UPDATE [11AM CST]: Police have arrested the whole North Dakota team; Michael Foster, Sam Jessup, and documentary filmmaker Deia Schlossberg. Leonard Higgins, Ken Ward, Annette Klapstein, and Emily Johnston have also been arrested.
These pipelines have emergency shut off valves for a reason. And this is an emergency #ShutItDown #KeepItInTheGround https://t.co/YurBsYL7lA pic.twitter.com/xyhARMKcfI
— Steve Liptay (@Liptay) October 11, 2016
Written by Andrew Neef
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