Enbridge Line 3 Construction Blocked by Activists in Northern Minnesota
Two Inlets, MN – Early Wednesday morning, two people locked themselves to equipment used for Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline in Northern Minnesota. The action was organized by the Giniw Collective and comes days after various permits were granted in the State of Minnesota, pushing the highly controversial pipeline closer to construction.
“Governor Walz said we need to act boldly on climate,” said Giniw Collective founder Tara Houska to Unicorn Riot. “Then he approved the largest tar sands infrastructure project in North America through Anishinaabe territory.”
Hear from the water protectors why they locked down! Mira: Having grown up on occupied Anishinaabe and Dakota land, I feel a responsibility to defend that land and the rights of the people who have had a relationship with it. If Line 3 is built, it’s not a question of (1/4) pic.twitter.com/EIqa5jfqnF
— Resist Line 3 (@ResistLine3) November 18, 2020
The Giniw Collective is an Indigenous-women and two-spirit led frontline resistance to protect the destruction and pollution of the Earth, according to their Facebook page. Giniw is the Anishinaabe word for golden eagle, the bird that flies the highest in the sky. In many Anishinaabe beliefs, it is the golden eagle that carries the people’s prayers to the Anishinaabe Creator, who is believed to live above the sky.
“Having grown up on occupied Anishinaabe and Dakota land, I feel a responsibility to defend that land and the rights of the people who have a relationship to it,” Mira Grinsfelder, 24 of Saint Paul, Minn, said in a statement prior to locking herself up to Enbridge equipment.
Betsy: I grew up in Nebraska hearing about the devastation the Keystone pipeline would cause, so when I moved to Minnesota and learned about Line 3, I felt called to take action. (3/4) pic.twitter.com/0ooFSGq9wD
— Resist Line 3 (@ResistLine3) November 18, 2020
“If the US government won’t defend Anishinaabe treaty rights, we will. If the Minnesota government won’t protect the water, we will,” added Grinsfelder.
When asked why they would take such a risk to their safety and freedom, Betsy Foy, 20, (Saint Paul), said:
“I grew up in Nebraska hearing about the devastation the Keystone pipeline would cause, so when I moved to Minnesota and learned about Line 3, I felt called to take action,”
“Even if I can’t stop something on my own, it’s vital to have many people in the movement standing in solidarity.”
Betsy Foy, 20 of Saint Paul, Minnesota
November 12, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) approved various permits for Enbridge’s Line 3. The result brought hundreds of people in protest at the Governor’s Mansion on Saturday, clashing with a pro-Trump rally with people voicing they support pipelines.
Yesterday, 12 out of 17 MPCA advisory group members resigned in protest over the approval of MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop approval for a key water permit that pushes Line 3 closer to construction.
“We cannot continue to legitimize and provide cover for the MPCA’s war on black and brown people,” their resignation letter states.
Enbridge’s Line 3 is the largest project in the company’s history, and would be one of the largest crude oil pipelines in the continent, according to a statement on the company’s website. Line 3 is expected to transport up to 760,000 barrels a day through Northern Minnesota, passing through treaty lands of several Ojibwe bands.
To date, five Ojibwe bands have resisted the pipeline replace project in court: White Earth, Red Lake, Mille Lacs, Fond du Lac, and Leech Lake. Canada, North Dakota, and Wisconsin have all approved their segments of the pipeline.
“If his [Governor Walz’s] administration won’t stand up to big oil, we will,” added Houska.
Cover image via Giniw Collective.
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Unicorn Riot's Line 3 Oil Pipeline Coverage:
- Landing Page for all Unicorn Riot Line 3 Resistance Coverage
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Speech Disrupted by Water Protectors - October 8, 2021
- Over 50 Line 3 Pipeline Protesters Arrested Outside MN Governor’s Residence - September 22, 2021
- Police Break Up Ceremony and Indigenous-Led #StopLine3 Occupation - August 31, 2021
- Hundreds March from Governor Residence, Urge Chase Bank Defund Line 3 - August 31, 2021
- First Trial from Treaty People Gathering Ends in Acquittal - August 23, 2021
- Line 3 Opponent Sentenced to Thirty Days in Jail - August 19, 2021
- Enbridge Spills 10,000 Gallons of Line 3 Drilling Fluid - August 16, 2021
- Line 3 Fusion Center Data Declared Secret - August 4, 2021
- Judge Orders Sheriff to Halt Harassment of Line 3 Resistance Camp - July 24, 2021
- Water Protectors Occupy Work Sites and Lock Down to Line 3 Pipeline Construction - July 1, 2021
- Hubbard County Barricades Private Property, Imprisons Water Protectors - June 28, 2021
- Indigenous-Led Blockades Occupy Line 3 Pipeline Sites - June 10, 2021
- Rising Up to the Heat: ‘Treaty People Gathering’ Resists Line 3 Pipeline - June 7, 2021
- Activists Serve Denver Wells Fargo Eviction Notice - May 3, 2021
- Appealing Line 3 Pipeline: Supply and Demand at Root of Hearing - March 23, 2021
- Caravan Disrupts Line 3 Construction Routes, Carlton County Triggers Backlash - March 13, 2021
- Treaty Rights Asserted During Creation of White Earth Camp - March 13, 2021
- 70 Water Protectors Cited, 1 Arrested During Line 3 Commemorative Rally - March 4, 2021
- Bipod and Car Blockade Jam Up Line 3 Construction - March 2, 2021
- Three Lock Down Inside Line 3 Pipeline For 6+ Hours - Feb. 21, 2021
- Lockdown to Keep it in the Ground: Line 3 Resistance - Feb. 15, 2021
- Court of Appeals Denies Motion to Stop Line 3 - Feb. 3, 2021
- Opposition to Line 3 Mounts - Jan. 29, 2021
- Resistance to Line 3: Direct Actions Aim to Stop Construction - Jan. 11, 2021
- Enbridge Line 3 Construction Blocked by Activists in Northern Minnesota - Nov. 18, 2020
- Protests After Permits for Line 3 Oil Pipeline Approved - Nov. 17, 2020
- ‘No KKKops, No Pipelines’ Banner Dropped in Minneapolis - Oct. 6, 2020
- “Divest from Climate Change!” Chase Bank Branch Protested on Opening Day - Nov. 7, 2019
- March to Protect The Sacred on Indigenous People’s Day 2019 - Oct. 14, 2019
- Hundreds Rally in Opposition to Line 3 Tar Sands Pipeline in Minnesota - Sept. 28, 2019
- Direct Action in Minnesota as Line 3 Pipeline Approval Reversed - June 3, 2019
- Multi-Agency Task Force Prepares “Rules of Engagement” For Line 3 Protests - Feb. 11, 2019
- ‘Valve Turners’ Shut Down Enbridge Oil Pipelines in Minnesota - Feb. 4, 2019
- Arts, Culture, and Hip Hop Resist Line 3 as Lawsuits Against Approval Continue - Dec. 29, 2018
- Minnesota Police Train at Military Base as Line 3 Pipeline Protests Escalate - Oct. 25, 2018
- Judge Accepts Water Protectors’ Climate Change Necessity Defense - July 18, 2018
- Line 3 Oil Pipeline Approved By Minnesota Regulators - June 28, 2018
- As Line 3 Oil Pipeline Decision Looms, Indigenous Resistance Increases - June 26, 2018
- Interfaith Community Delivers Letter of Line 3 Opposition to Minnesota Government Offices - June 4, 2018
- Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Requests Line 3 Schedule Change - Jan. 10, 2018
- Rally Against Line 3 Minnesota Pipe Yards - Dec. 11, 2017
- Resistance to Line 3 Pipeline Seeks to Save Sacred Manoomin - Oct. 9, 2017
- Direct Action Ramps Up Resistance to Line 3 - Sept. 18, 2017
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