{"id":22056,"date":"2021-06-18T02:39:36","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T07:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/the-death-of-the-zombie-pipeline\/"},"modified":"2021-06-18T02:39:37","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T07:39:37","slug":"the-death-of-the-zombie-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/the-death-of-the-zombie-pipeline\/","title":{"rendered":"The death of the \u2018Zombie Pipeline\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pipeline fighter Jasilyn Charger, sentenced June 9 for the act of civil disobedience of locking herself to a KXL pump station in treaty-protected Native homelands, heard the news that same day of the megaproject\u2019s demise and declared, \u201cDeath to KXL.\u201d COURTESY \/ Jasilyn Charger and Mni Un Wiconi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

SPEARFISH \u2013 Asking tolerance for starting this news story in first-person, I just couldn\u2019t resist when I received a letter June 10 saying, \u201cTalli Nauman, the Keystone XL Pipeline has been officially terminated!\u201d<\/p>\n

I have been at the helm of the media coverage on the Native-led resistance to this megaproject, its predecessor Keystone I, and the proliferation of oil pipeline undertakings since then. So, I know that this particular one has garnered a reputation in Indian country as the \u201cZombie Pipeline\u201d.<\/p>\n

Could it really be dead this time, after so many reversals of permit status over the decade that the Canadian TC Energy Corp. has sought to complete it across 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty territory?<\/p>\n

Sure enough: An announcement from corporate headquarters June 9 stated, \u201cThe company confirmed today that after a comprehensive review of its options, and in consultation with its partner, the Government of Alberta, it has terminated the Keystone XL Pipeline Project.\u201d<\/p>\n

All 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty tribes, as well as the National Congress of American Indians, are on record in opposition to KXL.<\/p>\n

TC Energy Corp., previously TransCanada Corp., gave up the ghost one-half year after U.S. President Joe Biden\u2019s inaugural day revocation of KXL\u2019s presidential permit. During that sixth-month period, the company continued seeking local easements.<\/p>\n

Native pipeline fighters remained on alert, monitoring activity at supply and construction facilities to prevent permit violations along the soon not-to-be-built pipeline section from Canada through Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska.<\/p>\n

The company will \u201ccontinue to coordinate with regulators, stakeholders and Indigenous groups to meet its environmental and regulatory commitments and ensure a safe termination of and exit from the project,\u201d TC Energy Corp. promised in its announcement.<\/p>\n

That same day, a judge for Haakon County in Philip sentenced Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Jasilyn Charger, 25, for locking herself to a KXL pump station in a Nov. 21 act of civil disobedience to delay construction. \u00a0Charger will serve six months\u2019 probation and pay a fine for trespassing on her treaty land.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurt a lot to be talked to like I had no right to this land and that what I did was wrong,\u201d Charger said of the sentencing. \u201cThe courts will never be on our side as long as our treaty rights are not recognized.\u201d She thanked her moral supporters and remarked to her followers, \u201cToday we celebrate a death of a black snake, KXL.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge postponed sentencing for Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Oscar High Elk, 30, until July 7 on charges stemming from police activity Dec. 23 at the Rootz Camp he co-founded on the KXL route. High Elk raised $10,000 cash bond for his release from Haakon County Jail on Jan. 6. He faces one first-offense felony charge, as well as 11 misdemeanor claims, which could result in a prison sentence of nearly two dozen years and fines up to $48,000.<\/p>\n

At Cheyenne River Sioux tribal headquarters in nearby Eagle Butte, jubilation over the news of the pipeline\u2019s demise was evident immediately during a No KXL Victory Gathering in the streets, where a convoy of vehicles \u2014 horns honking and flags flying \u2014 played traditional drum songs at high volume while occupants cheered.<\/p>\n

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chair Harold Frazier bolstered the akeesha shared across Oceti Sakowin homelands and beyond, saying, \u201cI would like to thank all the people who sacrificed, stood up, took action, worked and prayed to protect our nation and Unci Maka.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the countless water protectors who have fought the constant battles in a thousand places to defeat this existential threat to us all, every action you took was an answer to a prayer,\u201d Frazier said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to thank United States President Joseph Biden for understanding the damage to this planet projects like this would cause and cancelling the permit needed to cross the medicine line with Canada,\u201d he added. \u201cAn acknowledgement of the importance our actions have to this planet was provided when you took the bold step of action making you a champion for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He called the resistance \u201ca long fight,\u201d saying, \u201cPipelines continue to threaten our treaty territory, water and relatives, and we must not forget those that are still standing on sacred ground in front of giant enemies. Let today be an example of what is possible when we take action to change the course of history for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

His meaning about giant enemies was well received by thousands of Enbridge Energy Inc. Line 3 pipeline opponents, mobilized at the Mississippi Headwaters for a weeklong Treaty People Gathering in the Anishinaabe ancestral lands of Northern Minnesota. Their goal was to convince the Biden Administration to detain the Canadian company\u2019s construction. (See story this issue by Darren Thompson.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there is victory today in the KXL fight, people continue to risk their lives and freedoms at Enbridge Line 3,\u201d said Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective president and CEO, who attended the Line 3 gathering. Jade Begay, Climate Justice Campaign director for the NDN Collective, added:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe end of KXL is an affirmation that persistence works, that intersectional organizing works, and that when we center our efforts in our Indigenous values and in our respect for water, land, and our people, we win. I pray this victory will invigorate organizers and water protectors across the country \u2014 who are currently fighting DAPL, Line 3, Line 5, and other harmful pipelines that threaten communities of color, water, and land \u2014 to keep persevering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney M. Bordeaux responded to the KXL announcement, \u201cThis is great news for the tribes who have been fighting to protect our people and our lands. The treaties and laws guarantee us protections, and we are committed to see that those laws are upheld.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe announced a June 15 Wopila and Celebration with lunch to feature speakers Russell Eagle Bear and Paula Antoine, founder of the Rosebud Sioux Tribes Oyate Wahacanka Woecun (Shield the People) Spirit Camp on the KXL Pipeline route. Established in 2014, it was the first of dozens more of its type to muster prayer and popular opposition in the anti-pipeline movement.<\/p>\n

Antoine recalled the camp\u2019s legacy in a social media post, saying, \u201cWe would often say if we move forward we move together: one heart, one mind, one prayer. We were all concerned for the depredation the planet-killing project KXL would inflict upon our people, land, and resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continued through scorching hot days, through blizzards, through rainy nights and other nights blessed by infinite stars. Together we prevailed. We were told to carry \u2026 our prayers as we would our children \u2026 for the next seven generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Nez Perce tribal leader Gary Dorr, a camper at Wahacanka Woecun and an intervenor unsuccessful in preventing the South Dakota Public Utility Commission permit for the line, called for the agency to revoke the permit. Joining him were intervenors of the grassroots non-profit Dakota Rural Action, who also demanded TC Energy Inc.\u2019s release of easements it acquired \u2013 \u201cespecially those gained through the use or threat of eminent domain,\u201d the statewide organization said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s overwhelming to think about \u2014 having been harassed for 13 years, and now it\u2019s over,\u201d said DRA member and KXL easement-affected rancher John Harter. \u201cThis was the right decision for the tribes and for affected landowners, but now we need to have our property rights restored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fort Belknap Indian Community President Andy Werk commented, \u201cThe TransCanada announcement is a relief to those of us who stood in the pipeline\u2019s path. We were not willing to sacrifice our water or safety for the financial benefit of a trans-national corporation. We are thrilled that the project has been canceled.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) and the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Gros Ventre (Aaniiih) tribes) in coordination with their counsel, the Native American Rights Fund, sued the previous Administration of President Donald Trump for numerous violations of the law in the Keystone XL Pipeline permitting process.<\/p>\n

Indigenous Environmental Network and North Coast Rivers Alliance also filed suit against the federal Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, State Department, Interior\u2019s Fish & Wildlife Service, their leaders, and Trump in 2020.<\/p>\n

Fort Peck Assiniboine Council Chair Lance Fourstar said he is \u201coverwhelmed with joy to have heard the news that \u2026 the highly carcinogenic, benzine diluted tar-sand bitumen pipeline project is dead. This pipeline has threatened residents and Indigenous people along its proposed route,\u201d he noted. \u201cA giant has been taken down with prayers, persistence and hope for a better future for generations not yet alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Reservation\u2019s water supply system became a potential victim of the project\u2019s threat to clean water for Native and non-Native area residents, he said. \u201cOur water protectors are owed a great debt of gratitude for their persistence in this fight, never giving up or giving in. Our community and the Assiniboine Nation went on record to oppose the KXL Pipeline. I am declaring, \u2018Mission Accomplished\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Winnebago Tribe applauded the termination, sparing \u201cpotential environmental disaster,\u201d it said. The tribe has consistently opposed the issuance of the KXL permits and is \u201chopeful this termination spurs the end of other harmful fossil fuel projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnebago Tribal Chair Victoria Kitcheyan called it \u201ca victory for not only Indian country, but for all Turtle Island,\u201d and said, \u201cIt is also an important opportunity for TC Energy and all other companies to reexamine their role in protecting the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

KXL easement-affected Bold Nebraska constituent Art Tanderup, who deeded part of his ranch on the Ponca Trail of Tears back to the tribe, noted, \u201cAfter a decade, it is a good day that TransCanada has realized that there is no future in tar sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline. But it is imperative that all permits granted in Nebraska be revoked, especially the Nebraska Public Service Commission\u2019s permit. The further taking of easements by TransCanada must stop, and current easements must be returned to the landowners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veteran Native pipeline fighter and Indigenous Environmental Network Frontline Community Organizer Joye Braun responded to KXL\u2019s pullout, saying, \u201cOh my goodness, it\u2019s really dead.\u201d The first camper at the 2016-2017 Standing Rock mobilization against DAPL, she thanked relatives young and old for helping build a \u201cpowerful coalition that changed the world\u2019s discussion on climate change\u201d from the bottom up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Justin Trudeau, get your dirty ugly tar-sands pipe out of Oceti Sakowin territory, and while you\u2019re at it, stop Line 3, stop Line 5, too. We don\u2019t want that ish polluting us down here!\u201d she admonished Canada\u2019s Prime Minister. Enbridge Energy Inc. is building Line 5 in Michigan despite the state governor\u2019s revocation of its permit.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Alberta Province, the source of the tar-sands for all these projects, had shored up TC Energy Inc. to the tune of $7.5 billion (Canadian) in 2020, as hopes waned for pushing KXL through treaty-protected territory. The provincial government said it expects to lose $1.3 billion (Canadian) on the failed prospect.<\/p>\n

(Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.net<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The post The death of the \u2018Zombie Pipeline\u2019<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>

Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/div>

Pipeline fighter Jasilyn Charger, sentenced June 9 for the act of civil disobedience of locking herself to a KXL pump station in treaty-protected Native homelands, heard the news that same day of the megaproject\u2019s demise and declared, \u201cDeath to KXL.\u201d COURTESY \/ Jasilyn Charger and Mni Un Wiconi SPEARFISH \u2013 <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> June 18, 2021<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":22057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5627],"tags":[10105,3222,6657],"class_list":["post-22056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resource-directory-blog","tag-archive","tag-news","tag-top-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}