Twin Cites activists pressure Canadian oil company to stop toxic tar sands pipeline

St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.

This action is in direct response to last month’s aggressive actions by local law enforcement to repress one of the indigenous-led resistance camps in northern Minnesota. The repression includes the arrests of 20-plus water protectors participating in a sunrise ceremony at Red Lake treaty camp, the arrests of seven water protectors who took action at the Shell River, and the non-violent direct action led by the Giniw Collective at the Willow, Crow Wing, and Shell Rivers to delay construction.

Line 3 is a pipeline that would carry nearly a million barrels a day of crude tar sands oil, some of the dirtiest oil to burn and extract, from Alberta, Canada through Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. It is owned by Enbridge, a Canadian oil company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. The proposed pipeline crosses over 200 bodies of water, including the Mississippi river twice, and violates Indigenous treaty rights. Should the pipeline spill, millions of people downstream will feel the effects and wild rice beds sacred to the Anishinaabe people in Minnesota lakes will be destroyed.

This pipeline would also have devastating effects as far as climate change. The emissions from the oil would be equivalent to 50 new coal fired powered plants. In a time of historic droughts, wildfires and storms caused by the changing climate, now is not the time to be investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Banners were dropped at six highly visible areas: I-94 bridges crossing Prior Avenue, Chicago Avenue, and Nicollet Avenue, as well as the Loring Park bridge and the I-94 westbound tunnel entrance. Activists hoped to capture the attention of Saint Paul and Minneapolis residents and highlight the fight against Line 3.

As construction continues throughout the summer, local activists will continue to stage actions and mobilize people to support the movement against Line 3. You can learn more at stopline3.org and can support the movement directly at https://linktr.ee/stopline3.