The Line 3 Pipeline “Replacement” Project was the largest expansions of Tar Sand Oil infrastructure in North America. It was built without the free and prior informed consent by the Anishinaabe through the wetlands, rivers, streams, manoomin (wild rice) and forests of what we now call Northern Minnesota.
After a more than 7 year regulatory battle and year of on-the-ground resistance during a global pandemic, construction has finished but a trail of destruction has been left.
QUICK LINKS
Wanna be notified about upcoming court hearings, trials & ways to support Line 3 defendants moving through the criminal justice system?
Defendant organizers have put together a rapid-response style email list to send updates related to the #FloodTheCourts effort. Click below to subscribe!
Drop the Charges!
Support Water Protectors arrested while defending the land against construction of the Line 3 Tar Sands Oil Pipeline.
Amplify the #DropL3Charges hashtag on social media, sign the petition demanding MN Gov. Walz & AG Keith Ellison drop the charges against water protectors, and explore the DropLine3Charges.com website.
Enbridge Energy has announced that as of October 1st, 2021 the Line 3 Tar Sands Oil Pipeline is in service and flowing oil across Minnesota and the sovereign territory of the Anishinaabe people.
The Line Pipeline “Replacement” project was the largest expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in what we call North America and completed at a time when we’re in a “Code Red” climate crises according to the 2021 IPCC report. From 2018 through the present, the grassroots community here at SEEKJOY did everything we could to organize against this project. We lost. We learned. We stood. We had victories. We built relationships. We changed hearts, and we changed minds. Although much of the “frontline” chapter of this fight has come to a close it is more important than ever to support our relatives who were arrested in defense of the land & people, and continue to support resistance efforts against the corporate state.
Our Primary Goals
1. Support grassroots & non-profit efforts on the ground via strategic media support, mutual-aid, and organizing horsepower.
2. Build and strengthen alliances between the broader Twin Cities and those in the Central/Northern regions of Minnesota most effected by the proposed route.
3. Encourage those who enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, hiking and other outdoor activities in the North Woods to jump on board with efforts to stop further degradation of Minnesota’s natural beauty.
4. Raise awareness about the significance of Line 3 in the context of the Global Climate Crisis.
Debunking Myths You’ve Seen/Heard About Line 3
The Line 3 Pipeline Project was not a “Replacement”
If you have a worn-out bicycle tire that needs replacing, you will typically remove your bicycle tire, mount a replacement, and put it back on your bicycle. Similarly with regards to the “Line 3 Replacement Project”, one would expect this to include removing Line 3 from the ground and putting a new pipeline back into the ground. This is not what happened. The original Line 3 pipeline was left in the ground indefinitely, and the new Line 3 (or, what is marked now as “Line 93”) was built with a larger diameter pipe, in an entirely different corridor, along an entirely different route.
Line 3/93 does NOT ship Bakken Crude from North Dakota, it ships Tar Sand Oil from Canada.
There is a region in Alberta, Canada, known for its primary extractive industry resource: Tar Sands. Tar Sand “oil”, or, bitumen as it is called, is not a liquid in its raw form. It is ashpalt attached to sand particles. Open-pit mines extract the sand and pulverize it with chemicals and steam to separate the Bitumen, which is then diluted with chemicals to become “Diluted Bitumen” (DilBit) so that it can be transported via pipe. If/when DilBit leaks from a pipeline over a water source, like with Enbridge’s Line 5 on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the chemicals diluents evaporate into the atmosphere and the bitumen sinks. This asphalt substance is almost impossible to dredge & clean from the natural environment. Tar Sand Oil is considered the “Dirtiest Oil” on the planet because of the amount of resources it requires to extract, transport & refine. LONG STORY SHORT… Line 3 is designed to carry Canada’s Oil to overseas markets it cannot reach.
Minnesota does not “Need” this oil. MN Refineries are at capacity, and this product is intended for international markets.
The Line 3 pipeline transports DilBit from Alberta, Canada through Minnesota to Superior, WI where for the most part it continues along various midstream pipelines to the coast for overseas export. During the regulatory process, Minnesota’s own Department of Commerce (DOC) sued Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) because it did not feel Enbridge had submitted an adequate Long-Term Energy Demand Forecast which would have shown that Minnesota & the surrounding region needed the oil, which is a requirement for the project to have received a Certificate of Need (CN). Ultimately the lawsuit failed – appellate courts determined that the “need” Enbridge has was on behalf of its Canadian Oil shippers, a blatant misunderstanding and misinterpretation of Minnesota’s Environmental Protection Act.
Line 3 will not create long-term “Jobs” in the State of Minnesota.
You probably came across Enbridge’s advertisements about the THOUSANDS of jobs Line 3 would create. During active construction, the project brought in thousands of workers in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to build Line 3, but these jobs are now gone (except for the on-going work fixing construction problems & aquifer breaches). The Line 3 pipeline project created 12 months temporary construction work so that Canada could secure 50+ years of increased fossil fuel extraction. A majority of the temporary construction jobs were filled by out-of-state workers – even the steel pipes used to build Line 3, which had been stored outside in the elements of Minnesota for half a decade, were NOT made in Minnesota with Minnesotan steel from the Iron range.
The “Native Americans” have helped pave the way for this Project.
All of the Minnesota Chippewa/Ojibwe tribes opposed the Line 3 replacement project at the onset when Enbridge first filed for its permits. After years in the courts battling against the project, as it became clear that Minnesota’s State Agencies would collude to force the pipeline through, the Fond Du Lac Band in 2018 signed a deal with Enbridge to allow the project to be constructed in its original corridor across their Reservation in what prominent indigenous activist & Executive Director of Honor the Earth Winona LaDuke accurately calls a “Sophie’s Choice” decision. All other Federally Recognized Tribes in MN, including White Earth, Leech Lake & the Red Lake Nation oppose the project and actively challenged construction on the ground & in the courts.
Quick Facts & General Info about Line 3
The existing Line 3 Pipeline was built over 50 years ago and has over 900 “structural anomalies” – Enbridge’s lingo for “places that need repair.” Line 3 is one of 7 pipelines in the “Enbridge Mainline Corridor” and transports Tar Sand Oil from Alberta, Canada across Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin where it is refined and/or shipped to the ocean.
The Line 3 Pipeline is designed to carry 960,000+ barrels of Tar Sand oil through 330 miles of Northern Minnesota where it crosses over 78 miles of wetlands and the headwaters of the Mississippi River in two separate locations. Waters in the region of Northern Minnesota where Line 3 is being built flow in all four directions. A spill, like what happened in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan by another one of Enbridge Energy’s pipelines, would be catastrophic.
Enbridge proposed the “Replacement” for Line 3 be constructed in a NEW corridor that branches from the existing Mainline corridor in Clearbrook, MN. The new route intentionally avoided the Leech Lake Reservation, as Leech Lake does not want to renew the leases it holds with Enbridge which are set to expire in the coming decade. The “old” Line 3, as part of the permitting process, is on track to be sealed and stay permanently where it is until it degrades into the soil.
Having built a new pipeline corridor for the Line 3 “Replacement”, Enbridge is now positioned to slowly move ALL of its pipelines from the Mainline Corridor crossing through Leech Lake to the new corridor. This scenario was raised in court by parties opposing the project, but has not been a part of Enbridge’s filings.
According to a study compiled by 13 Environmental Groups, the building and operation of Line 3 has the carbon-equivalent of constructing 50 new coal-fired power plants. The yearly emissions of Line 3 will be greater than the entire carbon footprint of the State of Minnesota across all sectors.
Efforts on the Ground
As part our general mission our hope is to catalyze, uplift and provide support to the amazing organizations which were instrumental in the nearly decades-long fight against Line 3. Below are several of the organizations which have been key players on the ground in the battle to #StopLine3.
Please Note! This list of groups & organizations is not arranged in any particular order. There is no “One Group” that is leading this movement on the ground.
StopLine3.org
StopLine3.org is the primary coalition website setup for the movement to Stop Line 3. The website includes a variety of resources, maps, recent news and a take-action page with a petition to sign and tons of calls-to-action from within the movement. If you are new to the fight, explore this website ASAP!
Giniw Frontline Resistance
Giniw is a grassroots, frontlines effort led by indigenous women to protect the sacred and empower the next generation of leadership with traditional values. Giniw is an encampment focused on direct action trainings, community outreach and education, supporting and engaging in traditional lifeways and cultural teachings, and relationship-building within the broader movement against fossil fuels and structural racism into a better way of life. Indigenous territories are not sacrifice zones and the tar sands machine must stop. Learn more, follow & support via their facebook page: facebook.com/pg/giniwcollective
Waadookawaad Amikwag
Waadookawaad Amikwag / Those who Help Beaver is an independent citizen science group, powered entirely by volunteers, and led by Indigenous values. A grassroots group of Tribal Members and Citizen Scientists came together in late 2021 as damages from the Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Pipeline construction continued to emerge along the pipeline corridor.
WA’s hope is to hold polluters like Enbridge and all responsible State and Federal Agencies accountable for remediation of our watersheds.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | DONATE
MN350: Building a Climate Movement in Minnesota
MN350 has been an integral component of everything Line 3. MN350’s Pipeline Resistance Team is the working group within MN350 focused on Line 3 and has been organizing actions, marches, petitions & educational resources. Via MN350 you can Request a Lawn Sign for your yard, and we encourage anyone reading this to Sign MN350’s Pledge of Resistance, which is the best way to stay engaged and get involved from the Twin Cities. A wealth of information in the form of Fact Sheets are available on their website at http://www.mn350.org/line-3-fact-sheets/. Follow their Facebook Page for current happenings and take a look at their events calendar for Line 3 gatherings as well as other events surrounding climate change action in Minnesota.
Friends of the Headwaters (FOH)
As a completely volunteer-led citizen’s group focused on protecting the Mississippi & the headwaters region from the impacts of Line 3, FOH has been a powerhouse in the legal battle against Line 3 ever since Enbridge Energy first filed for permits to build the “Sandpiper” line in the Fall of 2018.
Much of their work is in the courts and does not get alot of attention, but in many regards if it weren’t for FOH, Line 3 and/or Sandpiper would most likely already be in the ground. Financial support is their primary need to continue the legal challenges – as a registered 501c3 non-profit contributions are tax-deductible.
Honor the Earth
Honor the Earth is an indigenous-led organization under the direction of Winona La Duke based out of the White Earth Reservation. They played a massive role in stopping the Sandpiper Pipeline and have built and maintain the website StopLine3.org, the primary resource made available online as part of the effort to #StopLine3.
Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL)
MNIPL’s mission is to work “in partnership with faith communities to build transformative power and bring the lights of people’s unique gifts to addressing the climate crisis.” MNIPL has been organizing around Line 3 for more than half a decade, bringing the faith community into action.
Watch The Line (WatchTheLineMN.org)
The Watch the Line effort was created to monitor construction of the Line 3 Pipeline in Northern Minnesota. WTL has created an online map where construction observations are being recorded for public viewing, and has setup trainings for volunteers to monitor sections of the pipeline. Go to watchthelinemn.org/volunteer/ if you would be interested/willing to get involved with monitoring.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | DONATE
Gitchigumi Scouts
Gitchigummi Scouts is an Indigenous-led group based in the Twin Ports that patrols & searches for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives (MMIWR). Gitchigumi scouts engages in harm reductive practices to minimize the #’s of MMIWR which is something directly tied into extractive industry work, especially along pipeline construction corridors.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
Pipeline Legal Action Network (PLAN)
PLAN is a collective made up of individuals with experience in a wide variety of activist legal defense organizations, including: Coldsnap Legal Collective (RNC 2008), The Civil Liberties Defense Center, Water Protector Legal Collective (Standing Rock), The RNC 8 Defense Committee, Anarchist Black Cross prisoner support, and more.
PLAN is working to facilitate and support legal planning for activists targeted by the state during the Line 3 pipeline resistance campaigns. PLAN hopes to help prepare people and support their efforts to build their own legal support structures within their affinity groups and organizations, rather than having a service model of legal support. PLAN is also aware that not everyone comes prepared to the resistance, and sometimes people are swept up in mass arrests without support or resources. PLAN aims to make sure no one falls through the cracks—please contact PLAN if you or someone you know needs support with their Line 3 related arrest. Learn more on their website: planline3.com or via Facebook: facebook.com/planline3
The Youth Climate Intervenors
The Youth Climate Intervenors are one of the official parties involved in the Legal opposition to Line 3. YCI are an unaffiliated group of 13 young people, all under the age of 25, who have banded together to oppose Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline replacement.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | DONATE
Sierra Club North Star Chapter’s Beyond Oil / Stop Line 3 Team
The Sierra Club is involved in the battle to Stop the Line 3 Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Replacement Project! The Stop Line 3 Team advocates for a clean energy future free of oil pipelines, trains, and fossil fuel transportation through the state of Minnesota. Website Link: sierraclub.org/minnesota/beyond-oil
Red Lake Treaty Camp
Red Lake Treaty Camp has been setup along the Line 3 Route next to the Red Lake River crossing about 1.5 north of St. Hilaire, MN on Treaty Territory (Coords: 48.0409087, -96.2091660).
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
Healing MN Stories
Scott Russell has been providing exceptional journalistic coverage over the course of the past 3 years regarding legal happenings. Explore https://healingmnstories.wordpress.com/enbridge-line-3/ to stay current on news.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
Resilient Indigenous Sisters Engaging with our Allies (RISE Coalition)
The RISE Coalition is an indigenous women-led group standing in solidarity to protect the land, water, fire, and air for the next seven generations by educating, empowering, and inspiring our neighbors, friends, and allies. RISE Coalition focuses alot of resources on educating the general public about Treaties & Treaty Rights, with an underlying theme that as a Citizen of the United States, the obligations of what is written in the treaties are yours to uphold as well.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | DONATE
Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate (HP4HC)
HP4HC is a group of doctors, students & medical professionals educating about the impacts a changing climate has on the health of regular citizens and using their collective voice to advocate for immediate political action to address the climate crisis. HP4HC produced a white paper in June of 2020 directly addressing the impacts of Line 3, and has been advocating for a stay against construction until the COVID-19 crisis resolves due the impact of 4,000 out-of-state workers coming to Minnesota.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GET INVOLVED
Stop the Money Pipeline
Stop the Money Pipeline is a campaign targeting the financial sector’s support for fossil fuel & extractive industries. If the money stops, the destruction stops. Although not limited in scope to the Line 3 fight alone, this is a great effort. The Announcing the #DefundLine3 Campaign post on their website is a great place to start!
Migizi Will Fly
Migizi Will Fly is a frontline resistance camp on the Fond du Lac Reservation holding space against construction of the Line 3 Pipeline. The camp was organized by Taysha Martineau, a two-spirit Indigenous activist, Fond du Lac Band-Member & founder of GitchiGumi Scouts.
Manoomin Genawendang Endazhigabeshing
Manoomin Genawendang Endazhigabeshing (Wild Rice Protector Camp) is located on the White Earth Reservation and, from the facebook page, “is creating a space built upon Zaagi’idiwin (Love), Our Anishinaabeg Culture & Language, Sustainability, and Wellness. We will build community and host a variety of activities and events.”
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
Getting Involved & Taking Action in the Post-Frontline Chapter of this Movement
Below are some general ways to get involved with the #StopLine3 effort.
Going to the Northern “Minnesota”
Although the frontline chapter of the Line 3 fight has come to a close, Migizi Will Fly will be holding down on Fond Du Lac reservation in 1854 Treaty Territory. Connect with them via their Facebook page.
Share, Promote & Amplify
There are many “hashtags” being used in the ongoing opposition Line 3. Please follow the groups above that are ON THE GROUND and if you see something that has been posted, share it. Explore and engage with #StopLine3, #DropL3Charges, #NoLine3, #HonorTheTreaties, #HonorOurTreaties, #NoMoreMMIW, #ResistLine3, #WeWillStopLine3 & #NowDoLine3 on social media.
Sign Petitions
Various orgs, from local grassroots entities to national/international non-profits have active petitions that need signatures. Below are links to active petitions:
Via Drop the Line 3 Charges:
Tell Attorney General Ellison & Gov. Walz: Drop the Charges Against Water Protectors!
Via MN350:
Sign MN350’s Pledge of Resistance
Lakota People’s Law Project Petition:
Tell Biden: Stop Line 3
Via StopTheMoneyPipeline:
Tell Biden to Stop Line 3
Call Your Reps, Governors, Commissioners & Political Leaders.
Constant pressure must be put on our politicians to act. Calls, Texts & Emails to the following are mission critical:
Contact Governor Tim Walz (651-201-3400)
“Hi, my name is [name] and I’m calling from [place]. I’m calling because I’m extremely disappointed about the way our state agencies colluded with Enbridge during the permitting and construction of the Line 3 pipeline. Even now, long after Enbridge finished construction, our aquifers in Northern Minnesota are ruptured & a trail of destruction has been left across our state. Please encourage our state agencies & leaders to do whatever we can to hold Enbridge accountable and to protect our environment.”
Donate Time, Materials or Money.
The SEEKJOY Community will be doing our best to boost and support active fundraising efforts that we are aware of and have done our best to vet. Links to where to donate are posted next to the groups in the On The Ground section above.
This community initiative, as with all of our others, is completely dependent on broad-based public support from people like you.