Help Water Protectors Being Attacked for protesting Line 3

Police officers detain a demonstrator as people protest the Line 3 pipeline by occupying an Enbridge pump station construction site in Hubbard County, June 7, 2021.  REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi

Over the weekend, 20 water protectors were brutally arrested in Northern Minnesota for peacefully resisting the Line 3 tar sands pipeline.

Here’s a glimpse of the scene from Tara Houska, water protector and founder of the Giniw Collective:

“The level of brutality that was unleashed on us was very extreme. People were shot in their faces, in their bodies, in their upper torsos. It was a really, really brutal scene.

We were outnumbered by police at least two to one. We were under smoky skies and a red sun due to the wildfires that are raging in Ontario, just north of us and west of us, and next to a drought-stricken river.”

We must stand in solidarity with those on the frontlines and continue to put pressure on President Biden to stop this pipeline. Will you help?

Here are three actions you can take right now to call on President Biden to #StopLine3:

1. Contact the White House: Fill in your contact information and write a message in your own words here about why you want Biden to stop Line 3.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Sample: "Please stop the Line 3 tar sands pipeline. Like Keystone XL, the Line 3 tar sands pipeline is a threat to our climate and water and violates Native American treaty rights. Please take action to stop the construction and invest in clean energy instead."

2. Share on Social Media: We need to spread the word and show President Biden that Americans across the country are watching. Send a message to Biden on Twitter here, or share this post on Facebook here.

3. Join one of the resistance camps: We know it’s a big ask, but it is a huge privilege for Indigenous leaders to extend this invitation and offer an opportunity for supporters like you to learn directly from frontline leaders. All participants must adhere to the camp’s safety protocols, including COVID-19 guidelines. Learn more and sign up here.

Just last week, a spill was reported on the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, more than 75% of Minnesota is in severe or extreme drought and wildfires are causing the worst air quality in Minnesota history.

The climate crisis is here – in Minnesota and across the country – and we have a moral obligation to stop all fossil fuels now. 

President Biden declared climate change the “number one issue facing humanity” and vowed a national transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. And yet he has allowed Line 3 to continue even though he has the authority to pull the federal permits now.

Please, take one of the actions above and together we can put as much pressure on Biden as possible.

More Information:

Water Protectors Shot with “Less Lethal” Police Munitions at Line 3 Pipeline Protests - Aug. 3, 2021

We must stop HR 1374, a newly proposed federal law which could crush First Amendment rights nationwide.

Law Enforcement Can Now Kill Water Protectors. Date: 07/28/2021

Seven Water Protectors Protesting Line 3 Pipeline Arrested at the Shell River - July 19, 2021

Pics of June protest here. 

Needed: Public Comments on I -11 Final Environmental Impact Statement

Photo by Frank Staub

Public Comment on the I-11 Final EIS

On Friday, July 16, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Federal Highways Administration (FHA) released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Interstate 11 freeway. The FEIS identifies two possible Preferred Alternatives, a West Option that would cut through Avra Valley and an East Option that would co-locate I-11 with I-19 and I-10 through the Tucson region. The proposed highway would run from the border with Mexico up to Wickenberg and is intended primarily for transit of commercial goods.   The West Option for Interstate 11 would build a new freeway through Tohono O’odham lands and would run right next to Saguaro National Park West/Tucson Mountain Park, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and -- cut off on the other side of the highway -- Ironwood Forest National Monument. The East Option would run through Tucson.   Both of these routes would have serious environmental impacts, with the West Option notable for the destruction of Sonoran Desert lands and disruption of wildlife habitat that it would cause.   ADOT and the FHA have set a deadline of August 16, 2021 for public comment on the FEIS. This 30-day comment period does not offer enough time to review the FEIS, which is 5,000 pages long, and to understand fully the impacts these two routes will have on our region.   We are joining colleagues at the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Sky Island Alliance, Living Streets Alliance, and others in encouraging everyone to request that ADOT and the FHA extend the comment period from 30 days to 120 days.   The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection has a useful resource page with information about I-11 and the proposed routes, talking points, a link to the FEIS, and details on the various ways you can submit comments:  https://www.sonorandesert.org/learning-more/interstate-11/   Please take action and request this extension as soon as possible. More Information:  If you want to see If you want to see the just-released Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Interstate 11 go to: http://i11study.com/Arizona/Documents.asp