Pipeline Protestors Are Still Blocking Railways in Canada, Paralyzing the Nation's Rail System
21 February
Energy
Protesters holding signs in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en Nation outside the Canadian Consulate in NYC. The Indigenous Peoples Day NYC Committee (IPDNYC), a coalition of 13 Indigenous Peoples and indigenous-led organizations gathered outside the Canadian Consulate and Permanent Mission to the UN to support the Wet'suwet'en Nation in their opposition to a Coastal GasLink pipeline scheduled to enter their traditional territory in British Columbia, Canada. Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images
Tensions are continuing to rise in Canada over a controversial pipeline project as protesters enter their 12th day blockading railways, demonstrating on streets and highways, and paralyzing the nation's rail system
<p>The arrest of dozens of people, including some Wet'suwet'en Nation leaders, earlier this month for blockading railways in protest of the $4.6 billion TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline sparked sympathy protests across the country. The protests bring up longstanding questions over Indigenous land rights in the region, illustrated by the years-long fight by the Wet'suwet'en against the pipeline, which some members of the tribe say is being illegally built on their territory. Two Canadian railways said they would temporarily lay off hundreds of employees as travel and trade stalls, and the crisis represents a major challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. </p><h4>For a deeper dive:</h4><p><a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*W7dbhHT7lJBR_W1lxKy37Sq4Z60/5/f18dQhb0S66X6_rzZBV1vjlL5v1hxQW4_7-hp1k8SyfW2b-k-41vjtQRW2vwCrt5cSsYXW2fRp8V4wj8wwW1jmjsW6FpFPzW55yhTN6Pt_YPW4FRMDn8N5MhMW4KWpVJ87Tv-sW8Sf_YB6LvC3JW7bSGDk1_HYn6W7tRHxh1w8wDFN2dqT-Mf-RGqW2zfC0F71Qcm4W7XhKw42NwnxKN41fbhLrRKsgN5br6c3hR3vCN1h86BSGFfK3W11GwJ32MdvW6W6rXjys62Thj-VPyMBq5Nyg5HW1XtZfz5jS0q0W8n5TrX7JSsMVW9kxNML606K8LW2mtZYd5qTfqnW4nMy0h2LBzLGW7t8JWJ26J2DvN8w8dmWYHcpmN3FDf-Lq7-rSW3YzwLK3BGC9gVMDwSc1J-mzCW5CKBcJ5BCR_9W1z4F7d1nlkqpW6MVJxL5mNTWVVP0FRJ4cngrpW7S8jXR2BRwbNW7w89G12ybNnrW6Xm8PS7rmrq9W6mgzC92HlWTMW1JwpYc68BR62W6-ZxfS5_zt3rW2W9H1k6JvVVDW4ZD8wN8S4yp1W8JytMQ3R78m1W4x8Mjy7LCsBNW1lqNmS3t97yH111" target="_blank">LA Times</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*N79j4ZfQp3wnW6gpm-V96JLDM0/5/f18dQhb0S1Wd2RMFdXTvLhB2_V3RqW2yc7Z07334qsW6__whW3zbTnnW4WWPJl6lb4zJW7glRp0602f59W5CzZQK6fsZDzW8Zf1cD1dzW5YN3nt9KjF0rrsW4vzKkp4CvnsCW7xRs2Z39hw6rW3jgVKg3cMk96VprCXF81-Bb7VFVjJB3TTSdRW4Xp6RM5PzlkyW5Wzfnf3Lt17SW7NYWGJ5gV8Z7W357JBy2YpYFJW7J1r9q1m2YFCN3jjZMHPtfrzN2531WKJ7hc2W1D34bC40H5hzW81-77k6BX5mmW6MQY8X3RD-TmW6LpWdW4f02CKMcYDj2Sqz4tVHPL5F1ZDLgDW38_tmH19trpwW4qt8Bs65kdJcW2_KdxB5YP6zQW2vsQ9c8mHb_VW4hVRRb6wpxMlW8GRlgj3FHVr4W70hF3_2vXMR2W75CYbm97jmMvW71PJYB84cPB3W4j2ltV2dclQBW8KHjGD2b6gv6Vytrt23041k8W45pCZS1MXsCVW5-Mslw5-K933W9jnMxt68pGLwW28Vj9g8Sq8cRW6wGRSN17MZY4N2dJ_TQRH2rQW8xJ4gr7_y2XjW8cSs2F7pVnG2Mm5F5ZGzwdWVRv87d7R4fzVW5vsvdg8XcFzhW55H9-B7PVy8lW4FyvGs8LxM-FW7_wXz35fMkJ9N7RB--tN6bSMf892kzg11" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*W4SDwrN87Kv8dN2SHvzcYVCcr0/5/f18dQhb0S1Xm6Xvx7LSp6m1g7dvjN19h5jtzcCyYW83-rlt1fjgMcW1PMkdH8Cd570W7Vnzc11Msv76W4xxNkN6fsS_qW8BvNS61C-CWTW13HhB53QPslpW7mRKDV913MTQW6XFdbW6QZbvSW6JnDMt3ZsydlW5GqZVH7x-sWqW3jVc9k541-9_N1PM_q8_jJZ6N8mw1BmrW239W29RkQz3wpYmWN4JyFcg9_V5YVsTlvz59lNPKW8jb3gH8qYQw0W69Bdkl662vbjN7PWNCJyCFXlV9t8G92g6_mVVMPtKd7-PBq2VCwfhZ4-m94lVvXSvF5h9tNkW6bz4CZ59nJMzW89rrDW7gK-jMVm2yT18BZ2pXN4c1HXMp_JnrW40179K16S5YRW6RHfFt8zgKB5W1MnHzx7CyllBW3xJWkS1Rd5v3VhK3bp77JsdQW74K44R42w3DpW3nTGjY3_w0wwW6jSRl091S2WYV1S8-J9kjZzTW8z7jtK5w2Y4XN14XzmMV_sDnW7z4TN42brkqlW51lDb48RgcVvW6N13Cz8ByJdZW6B000n8V1mFhW88v5X_9lBF0FW1rQTQf66J5FQW7g1sZ84nRy1Qf19sl8t02" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*W25GF6w2Ll57bW4VVpM33pdDmx0/5/f18dQhb0S66X6XvPVTN12P5fYSwTf0W1gRWCM52lSNjV-r4fv3jXhx-W5rZ36h8Qm6_MW7V_BmR872XJDVj5Xy06Qr1qcW2TWYxG6S-w2rW4JsyPy8DqSRjW5SsXMv8YlQQ_W2WyF2k784YsKW1Vtn981SqFSJW6cgbgZ7p3n6MW2fqRbD7QnYSbN3NGD1M3_Z7lW7VWL8q8ffvwtN1ds3s-DCfSBW3bngmH3y_75jW2_ZJQt1QkJK0W62H0Jq5wyj_GW2wJQLw1mWYFdM12YsnHHKsDW2x5b7G6y1gCLW404H6w23GTC1N9lcZJQH8n1tVCmFy53TmVKhN5NHrgGml30kW61sJB882MJhbW4QZmKW1LDndVW1mpmn06ntDdDW4sllGj4crTN-N37TV5G8vKbdW5zKD533yfmgmW6G4qGm3j4w8YW7-JZjM3jp89lW3w8dKs2LltblW7zkw576PKbK1W6Bpc631GmNyPW86KGMy6yMKJZMswSnCyHt5LW3N_5jL16bbm4W4WRMrk1jkncNW4CdDj3184N9yVTXHGg8kJnzVW7sfgh13bvVW-W6TSvmK58xdMPW1ffQ4Z6rpTcDf4-lKYR04" target="_blank">CBC</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*N2YFrXl7dJX1W68njt76Hpc5W0/5/f18dQhb0Sjvm8YHrG2N834vY8HyjJqMRYC34RrT2vN3hHhdQVMsQMVnQ9Qq8--HBkW8-xTw88-y10rW8_h6YV568f8VW557xkq2N312QMLmywpHqGmhW2Rx7tb56kV0rN2MTPSyKng6qW1Wg4bj2gd99PN58jrSK-YypWW7dDxTN7mWsnXW7dzcsS51vDG6W1f928N1x4lQBW6Hq46z4MW8X3W4r1Pm71nq9rhW18dKPT1VJrykW5lX8fq13bD4hW6dkdGD8VCTsYW84h9wn2MbG0XW2QkLxL4RqxZ1N4x_LnC58nrlN1FxdvjL6vr8W8hh_DW8TyHk5W7qHWdQ57D2zLW755Z652MVCmtW4QyswZ1fzdlCW3qwdzr6W1bz9W59ZKNy1D4j7MW4byY1S2KdCNjW8nDXSj38HdJ-W3Cdk0d3wv7SmW6x_qSw7z1PCfW7zNb082SwVJfW1DnMVK960ZMJW2LdjVl8jHW7PW4-3c0F2VK8YMW246bpk87mHLXW8MyC8R3S6TzpW2mtLGx4Pxhj5N3DlwBbVv0nHf33MjNb04" target="_blank">BBC</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W61nlLS7JTrscW1VgGBc4Vm-Jd0/*W3_zxZP3D_qfRW9l9mxg4yZ3Mn0/5/f18dQhb0S66X2dYTs8Slkq5nbT4TW1gS0d71tb8r1W600lPz7D5nFDW3Qx91_4gX_LhW7-SLvf62_8V5W5MjS3Q7H18F1N45TVsFycNKPW1zRGTN5TW7JzW8hSNHZ152SLsW18wV8T1jgPPfW1BJ1l_4CdhtmW57QfB_61XMm8W2JjJsT51c-bfW5FVhwT7l6vjkVJLv6C3z_YCsTbC538lmwmQV7ZCgR4JPSkQM7mjK_s85MPW10sMxM2_SRp4W2tR92q5kGNZJW37d-hF9lB5m3N4JXzPggsvjnW2kzzfQ2r2BXXW8gwgt03_WtPPW17MGXx70YftnN5jrjYj3wT6vW6YMt3M71DcXNW5GyDmY3WkLnzN3r8z-RTZFYJW6Q3Yq988QZ8bVKJSSw6zNwTKW9fYnPZ5PXrkcW3fJt5w1MB5SyW6f66Pr2ztdCgW2KCGdm5_r_wlW38TGy31vhXJrW43wSPP52_156N4m9vXzk3j4tN1n4PgKHYTySW21pfYd1DdD72W4fPWP26Sr1SzW51RtMb3v9hrSW5xPZKk5kCG_-W9fR5s85JrQrmW3wnn4X5-2x_9111" target="_blank">WSJ, Michael Taube op-ed</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Police Were Ready to Shoot Indigenous Pipeline Protesters in Canada, Documents Reveal
23 December 2019
Energy
First Nations Pipeline Protest: 14 Land Protectors Arrested as Canadian Police Raid Indigenous Camp
Canadian police discussed shooting indigenous protesters who were trying to stop a natural gas pipeline from being built on their land, documents reported by The Guardian Friday revealed.
<p>On Jan. 7, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) armed with assault rifles <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/indigenous-activists-arrested-transcanada-2625427021.html" target="_self">arrested 14 land defenders</a> when they cleared a checkpoint set up by the Wet'suwet'en nation to stop construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline on their unceded territory in northern British Columbia (B.C.). Now, the documents obtained by The Guardian show that, in a strategy session before the raid to clear the road, RCMP argued that "lethal overwatch is req'd," meaning they wanted to use snipers. </p>
<p>RCMP higher-ups also told their officers to "use as much violence toward the gate as you want." Police were ready to arrest both children and grandparents, and one document mentioned the possibility of sending children to social services. Historically, the RCMP forcibly removed indigenous children from their homes to place them in residential schools.</p><p>"Here we are, nearly 2020 and we are still being threatened with violence, death, and the removal of our children for simply existing on our lands and following our laws," Sleydo', or Molly Wickham, a spokesperson for the Gidimt'en Checkpoint protesters who was arrested herself in January, said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.straight.com/news/1339641/gidimten-spokesperson-sleydo-aka-molly-wickham-accuses-rcmp-acting-mercenaries-industry" target="_blank">The Georgia Straight</a>.</p>
<div id="2de3d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="UF2PEN1577193371"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1208089187280248833" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Nothing has changed in 150 years! They are willing to kill us for our lands and steal our children. We will never g… https://t.co/WC3HbkCOKD</div> — Gidimt’en Checkpoint (@Gidimt’en Checkpoint)<a href="https://twitter.com/Gidimten/statuses/1208089187280248833">1576865882.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Coastal GasLink is owned by TC Energy, the company formerly known as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/transcanada" target="_self">TransCanada</a> Pipelines, which is also the driving force behind the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl" target="_self">Keystone XL</a> pipeline opposed by indigenous groups in both the U.S. and Canada. CGL is set to run 670 kilometers (approximately 416 miles) from northeastern B.C. to a liquid natural gas facility in Kitimat that is yet to be constructed.</p><p>The company gained permission from elected First Nation councils along the pipeline route, but the hereditary Wet'suwet'en leaders oppose pipeline construction on their land. Since the Wet'suwet'en never surrendered their territories to the Canadian government, they argue that their hereditary leaders should have final say.</p><p>"This project aims to blaze a trail, in what has been envisioned as an energy corridor through some of the only pristine areas left in this entire region," a Wet'suwet'en <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xoGCEZdwn9ExzYPEDwqY063V5fLj3iatu-AOF-lqGQ4/edit" target="_blank">media statement explained</a>. "If CGL were to be built and become operational, it would irreversibly transform the ecology and character of Northern B.C. This is why the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs have all unanimously opposed the construction of ALL pipelines through their territory."</p><p>The Wet'suwet'en first established a camp called Unist'ot'en in 2009 to fight pipelines in their territory, The Guardian explained. It was the first in a growing movement of indigenous encampments protesting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> infrastructure in North America. The indigenous nation is now waiting for a provincial supreme court to decide on an injunction sought by TC Energy that would ban indigenous protesters from blocking access to any pipeline construction sites.</p>
<p>The RCMP documents obtained by The Guardian led Canadian officials to voice concerns over the role the police play in clashes between fossil fuel companies and indigenous land defenders.</p><p>"There are a number of very deeply concerning words, phrases and terms used to a situation that is immensely delicate," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Friday, as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-snipers-first-nation-pipeline-protest-guardian-1.5405111" target="_blank">CBC News reported</a>. "This is something that we need to revise as a government and take a look at that, because the terminology is entirely unacceptable."</p><p>In another document reviewed by The Guardian, the police also said they needed to arrest demonstrators for the goal of "sterilizing the site."</p><p>RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said in a statement reported by CBC News that the police had been denied a request to review the documents, but said some of the phrases may have been taken out of context. The term "lethal overwatch," in particular, does not necessarily mean that police snipers would be deployed to shoot at protesters. They are often deployed to ensure public safety during parades and demonstrations.</p>
<p>"Police officers who occupy the position of lethal overwatch are tasked with observing, while other police officers are engaged in other duties which occupy attention," Shoihet said.</p><p>But indigenous leaders and their supporters questioned who the police, who cleared the site on the strength of a B.C. Supreme Court injunction obtained by TC Energy, are ultimately protecting. The protesters' lawyer Martin Peters said the police had acted as "security guards" for the company.</p><p>"I was shocked," Wet'suwet'an hereditary chief Hagwilnegh, also called Ron Mitchell, told CBC News. "[The RCMP] assured us that they were there to protect everyone, including us. That was the message we received from them. The question that comes to mind is, who are the RCMP working for? They weren't nice to our people, especially the elders."</p>
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
A Keystone Pipeline oil spill has affected nearly 10 times the amount of land than previously thought. CBC News / YouTube screenshot
A spill at the Keystone Pipeline that began last month has affected nearly 10 times the amount of land than previously thought, state officials said Monday.
<p>The AP reported that regulators have revised their estimates of the spill to approximately 209,100 square feet of land affected. The pipeline's owner, TransCanada, says it has recovered more than 141,000 gallons of oily water. The spill, which is the second major spill from Keystone in a decade, has raised alarm over the past few weeks among residents of Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska living along the proposed route for the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl" target="_self">Keystone XL</a> project. "We've been doing this for 10 years, and we've watched spills along the way for 10 years, so it's no surprise to us," Nebraskan Jeanne Crumly, who is an affected landowner for the Keystone XL proposed path, told NPR. "So the question isn't if it will spill, the question is, 'Where?' And when it does, are we protected?"</p>
<p>As reported by the <a href="https://apnews.com/d3f301c4e5014981949be28fae8e15d7" target="_blank">AP</a>:</p><blockquote>Crude began flowing through the $5.2 billion pipeline in 2011. It's designed to carry crude oil across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri on the way to refineries in Patoka, Illinois and Cushing, Oklahoma. It can handle about 23 million gallons (87 million liters) daily.</blockquote><blockquote>It is part of a system that also is to include the proposed $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline designed to transport the oil from western Canada to terminals on the Gulf Coast.</blockquote><blockquote>The proposed Keystone XL pipeline has drawn <a href="https://apnews.com/c287d07793f94f3c9810f3b95195f40f" target="_blank">opposition</a> from people who fear it will cause environmental damage.</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p>Land affected: <a href="https://apnews.com/d3f301c4e5014981949be28fae8e15d7" target="_blank">AP</a>. Residents: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/11/17/780231683/living-near-the-future-pipeline" target="_blank">NPR</a><br/></p><p> <em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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"We are establishing air quality, water and wildlife monitoring and will continue monitoring throughout the response" to Tuesday's Keystone spill. TC Energy
By Jake Johnson
Environmentalists were outraged but not at all surprised to learn Thursday that the Keystone pipeline sprung yet another massive leak, this time spilling 383,000 gallons of crude oil in North Dakota.
<p>"I wish I could say I was shocked, but a major spill from the Keystone pipeline is exactly what multiple experts predicted would happen," Greenpeace USA senior research specialist Tim Donaghy said in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/10/31/keystone-pipeline-does-experts-predicted-spills-383000-gallons-oil-north-dakota" target="_blank">statement</a>. "In fact, this is the fourth significant spill from the Keystone pipeline in less than ten years of operation. History has shown us time and again that there is no safe way to transport fossil fuels, and pipelines are no exception."</p><p>As 350.org founder Bill McKibben <a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/status/1189966754488967168" target="_blank">tweeted</a> in response to the leak, "It happens over and over and over and over and over."</p><p>The latest Keystone spill was first detected Tuesday night by TC Energy, the pipeline's owner, and the extent of the damage to the surrounding areas is not yet known to the public. According to Greenpeace, the leak "is already the eighth-largest pipeline oil spill of the last decade."</p>
<div id="b39f3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="M4ORBF1576661212"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1189969040917200896" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Keystone pipeline just spilled AGAIN** — and is now the 8th largest pipeline oil spill in the past decade. 😡😡… https://t.co/lEap0N9BIc</div> — Greenpeace USA (@Greenpeace USA)<a href="https://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa/statuses/1189969040917200896">1572545702.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Brent Nelson, emergency manager for Walsh County, North Dakota, told the local Grand Forks Herald that the cleanup process could take months.</p><p>"The roads around the spill area have been closed to assist with the cleanup," the<em> </em><a href="https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4746575-Keystone-Pipeline-leak-spills-oil-in-northeastern-North-Dakota" target="_blank">Herald reported</a>. "Walsh County Sheriff Ronald Jurgens asks the public to avoid the area so the cleanup process can proceed. On-site security will stop and fine any driver ignoring the closed road signs."</p><p>TC Energy, previously known as TransCanada, denied that the spill had any impact on drinking water, a claim that was met with skepticism.</p>
<div id="6eb2f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2HBVGN1576661212"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1189716317714223104" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Keystone Pipeline leak spills oil in northeastern North Dakota
Corp says the oil hasn’t contaminated any drinking… https://t.co/wcKZO7qCVn</div> — R u t h H o p k i n s (@R u t h H o p k i n s)<a href="https://twitter.com/RuthH_Hopkins/statuses/1189716317714223104">1572485448.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Catherine Collentine, associate director of Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels initiative, said "this is not the first time this pipeline has spilled toxic tar sands, and it won't be the last."</p><p>"We've always said it's not a question of whether a pipeline will spill, but when," said Collentine, "and once again TC Energy has made our case for us."</p><p>Keystone's leak in North Dakota was detected just hours after the U.S. State Department held a <a href="https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/at-billings-keystone-hearing-economic-hope-clashes-with-environmental-concern" target="_blank">public hearing</a> in Billings, Montana to solicit comments on the department's <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/KeystoneXL-Draft-SEIS_Oct-2019.pdf" target="_blank">new analysis</a> of the potential environmental impact of the Keystone XL project.</p>
<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/774857502/774859315" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"></iframe><p>The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/11/09/saying-approval-trump-ignored-obvious-facts-and-threats-federal-judge-halts" target="_blank">worked hard to approve and accelerate</a> the project over the protests and legal challenges of indigenous rights organizations and green groups.</p><p>Joye Braun, frontline community organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, said the State Department meeting on Keystone XL "seemed more like an industry showcase rather than public comment hearing."</p><p>"We stand firm in opposing this project as the latest spill is further evidence of just how dangerous pipelines are," said Braun.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media partner <a href="http://commondreams.org/news/2019/10/31/it-happens-over-and-over-and-over-and-over-keystone-pipeline-leaks-least-383000?fbclid=IwAR0IYbQJ9EI9IwN0E2D7fpy3lFBhArSlZwVIcybDO-jDrq3KsGCpvP43Vs0" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>Related Articles Around the Web
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Part of the Keystone pipeline in Nebraska. shannonpatrick17 / CC BY 2.0
Parts of two pipelines owned by controversial Canadian pipeline companies remained shut down Thursday following the discovery of a leak near St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday, CBC News reported.
Both TransCanada's Keystone pipeline and Enbridge's Platte pipeline run parallel to each other through the area. The Keystone pipeline, which carries 590,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta, has faced opposition from environmental activists in the area because it transports from Alberta's tar sands.
<p>"[Leaks] are one more reason on top of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a> to show that tar sands are dangerous and should not be running through our state," <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/missouri" target="_blank">Missouri Sierra Club</a> Director John Hickey told <a href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/transcanada-shuts-down-keystone-pipeline-investigate-oil-spill-st-charles-county#stream/0" target="_blank">St. Louis Public Radio</a>. Residents are also worried the poor quality of the pipeline's steel makes leaks more likely, Hickey said.</p><p>The leak was discovered by a TransCanada technician 7:14 a.m. Wednesday. The technician found crude oil covering some 4,000 square feet around the pipeline in St. Charles County, Missouri. TransCanada said it was not sure how much oil had leaked, but thought it was around 43 barrels. The company said it was not yet possible to tell if the leak came from the Keystone or neighboring Enbridge pipeline.</p><p>"Until you can excavate and see the top of the pipes, you can't really determine which pipeline the release occurred from," TransCanada Public Information Officer Matthew John told St. Louis Public Radio.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="74370" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="QVC0ME1576663270"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1093575271020748800" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Excavation equipment sits near where Keystone oil pipeline runs through northern St. Charles Co. Ppipeline was shut… https://t.co/DNRn7pyJaM</div> — David Carson (@David Carson)<a href="https://twitter.com/PDPJ/statuses/1093575271020748800">1549563636.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Part of the Enbridge Platte pipeline, which carries 164,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Casper to Guernsey, Wyoming and 145,000 barrels a day from Guernsey to Wood River, Illinois, is also shut down.<br></p><p>"The release was reported in a location near several oil pipelines operated by several different companies, including one that is operated by Express Holdings (USA), LLC, an Enbridge affiliate," Enbridge said in a statement emailed to CBC News. "As such, personnel are onsite and working with those companies to identify the source of the oil and begin cleanup efforts. The oil is contained on the site."</p><p>Missouri Department of Natural Resources Environmental Emergency Response also responded to the spill, and section head Brad Harris told St. Louis Public Radio that the spill did not threaten any waterways or <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a>.</p><p>"We were very fortunate in the fact that there's a natural containment the oil resides," Harris said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3aabd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RVYKVA1576663270"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1093615520300126215" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yesterday, MoDNR staff responded to a release of 43 barrels of crude oil into the soil in St. Charles County. Clean… https://t.co/ref5ddbb8J</div> — Missouri DNR (@Missouri DNR)<a href="https://twitter.com/MoDNR/statuses/1093615520300126215">1549573233.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The pipeline closures caused the price of Canadian crude oil to fall Thursday, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-07/two-key-pipeline-shutdowns-cause-canadian-crude-price-to-plummet" target="_blank">Bloomberg News reported</a>. There is increased demand for Canadian oil at U.S. refineries in the Gulf due to sanctions on Venezuela. However, Alberta also had to lower oil production in January because of pipeline congestion, CBC News reported.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="808c3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FVTV0R1576663270"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="918597277387718656" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Top Trump Official for Pipeline Safety Profits from Selling Oil Spill Equipment https://t.co/Zk2vFZWbCT @greenpeaceusa @Sierra_Magazine</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/918597277387718656">1507845632.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Part of Wet'suwet'en territory in BC, Canada. Indigenous protesters were arrested trying to block a TransCanada from accessing their land to build a pipeline.
Jerome Charaoui (Charaj) / Free Art License
A standoff between indigenous activists and TransCanada over a proposed natural gas pipeline in British Columbia (BC) came to a head Monday as Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stormed a checkpoint set up by protesters to block construction, arresting 14, The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) National News reported Tuesday.
<p>The RCMP were enforcing a court injunction issued Dec. 14, 2018 saying that Coastal GasLink, a subsidiary of TransCanada, could access unceded Wetsuwet'en territory in order to build a pipeline. The company says it has approval from the elected representatives of all 20 First Nation groups along the pipeline route, but the hereditary Wetsuwet'en leaders say that they are the ones who control access to the land, and they do not want any <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> development to take place on it. </p><p>"The RCMP's ultimatum, to allow TransCanada access to unceded Wet'suwet'en territory or face police invasion, is an act of war. Canada is now attempting to do what it has always done—criminalize and use violence against indigenous people so that their unceded homelands can be exploited for profit," the main protest camp said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/07/canada-indigenous-anti-pipeline-protesters" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="96f6e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="VEBQDN1576664117"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1082445409677541376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This is Canada in 2019. Indigenous people getting ripped from their homes by militarized police. Gidumt'en Clan spo… https://t.co/7WG82UlhuG</div> — Michael Toledano (@Michael Toledano)<a href="https://twitter.com/M_Tol/statuses/1082445409677541376">1546910071.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The main camp, the Unist'ot'en camp, was established almost ten years ago on the Morice River to prevent three different pipeline projects from passing through the area, APTN reported. A separate Gidimt'en checkpoint, which the police rushed on Monday, was set up within days of the court injunction, according to The Guardian. The Unist'ot'en and Gitimd'en are two of the five clans that make up the Wet'suwet'en.<br></p><p>The Gitimd'en checkpoint was toppled Monday, and it is not known when police will move on the Unist'ot'en camp, APTN said. Police first arrived 9 a.m. on Monday and set up a barrier and an "exclusion zone" blocking public and media access.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="79026" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="A5LF5P1576664117"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1082392606238076928" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This is preventing reporters at the scene from doing their jobs. https://t.co/j0Uj3bIM6n</div> — Kathleen Martens (@Kathleen Martens)<a href="https://twitter.com/katmarte/statuses/1082392606238076928">1546897481.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>APTN shared the experience of 72-year-old protester Carmen NIkal:<br></p><blockquote>"They (police) spent some time trying to get the barricade down and I stepped away… and there were a couple of the protestors who had secured themselves to the barricade inside, I'm not exactly sure how the rest of us were standing and singing," she said in an interview on Facebook.<br><br>"The only thing I could do was try to block the path between the bus and the bridge. I'm not a big person but I was big enough to stand and they had asked me to move and I said 'No I'm not moving' and he said, 'Well, we can arrest you,'" she said.<br><br>"And I'm proud to have been arrested."</blockquote><p>Gidimt'en Clan spokesperson Molly Wickham was also among those arrested. Four hereditary chiefs attempted to negotiate with the company outside the checkpoint, but the company would not compromise.</p><p>"We may have lost this battle but not the war," said hereditary Gidimt'en Chief Madeek told APTN. </p><p><a href="https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/" target="_blank">The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs</a> (UBCIC) issued a statement ahead of Monday's police action criticizing the RCMP's intention to enforce the injunction. </p><p> "We strongly condemn the RCMP's use of intimidation, harassment, and ongoing threats of forceful intervention and removal of the Wet'suwet'en land defenders from Wet'suwet'en unceded territory," UBCIC President Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="80b14" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="BOKMRH1576664117"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1082078687191691264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">UBCIC Condemns RCMP Intimidation of Wet’suwet’en: “We strongly condemn the RCMP’s use of intimidation, harassment,… https://t.co/R01sFJzaox</div> — UBCIC (@UBCIC)<a href="https://twitter.com/UBCIC/statuses/1082078687191691264">1546822637.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The $4.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline would carry natural gas 670 kilometers (approximately 416 miles) from Dawson Creek to Kitimat, on the BC coast, The Guardian reported.<br></p>
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South Dakota County Secures More Jail Cells to Prepare for KXL Pipeline Protests
07 January 2019
Popular
A local teacher is arrested while staging a peaceful sit-in at TransCanada HQ in protest of Keystone XL.
Becky Bond / NoKXL / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Officials from a South Dakota county secured more jail cells to prepare for potential protests of the controversial Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline, the Black Hills Pioneer reported.
Last month, the Butte County Commission in South Dakota approved an agreement to use Faulk County jails for $85 per day per detainee, should the demonstrations go ahead and if protestors are arrested. Faulk County is roughly 270 miles east of Butte County.
<p>
The KXL's planned route will cross through the northeastern corner of Butte County.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The only reason we did it was kind of an insurance thing," Butte County Commissioner Stan Harms said Monday, as quoted by the <a href="https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/butte-county-reaches-agreement-with-faulk-county-to-detain-keystone/article_e53ca7a7-11aa-5c23-8204-0ec9abb04041.html" target="_blank">Rapid City Journal</a>. "We don't have a jail in Butte County. We normally use Sturgis, and if we can't get in there, the overflow goes to Deadwood or Rapid City. Now, we have Faulk County in case everything is full up."
</p><p>
<span></span>The arrangement was made even though a federal judge <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/keystone-pipeline-construction-begins-2607609388.html" target="_blank">blocked construction</a> of the long-gestating project in November.
</p><p>
Despite the judge's orders, TransCanada plans to start construction on the $8 million tube this year, according to the
<a href="https://www.apnews.com/68235ffb767c4f8bbfbf931a30b84573" target="_blank">AP</a>. The developer <a href="http://www.keystone-xl.com/kxl-101/faqs/" target="_blank">remains "committed"</a> to building the 1,179-mile pipeline designed to carry 830,000 barrels a day of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/keystone-xl-pipeline" target="_blank">tar sands oil</a> from Alberta to Nebraska.
</p><p>
Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere said TransCanada also plans to start construction in four different locations simultaneously as a way to spread out potential protest camps, according to the Black Hills Pioneer.
</p><p>
The KXL has been at the center of a contentious fight for a decade. Pipeline opponents and indigenous peoples worry that its path would cross drinking water sources and treaty territories.
</p><p>
President Obama rejected the pipeline in 2015 partly due to concerns about its contribution to
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>, but President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump" target="_self">Trump</a> reversed the decision shortly after taking office.
</p><p>
But in November, Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court in Montana temporarily halted the project and ruled that the State Department needed to write a supplement to the 2014 environmental impact statement that the Trump administration relied on to approve the pipeline. The new statement must take into account the risks posed by the project:
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-spill" target="_self">oil spills</a>, damage to indigenous resources and climate change.
</p><p>
<span></span>Trump called Morris' ruling a "disgrace" and suggested that his administration intends to appeal, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/09/politics/judge-halts-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.
</p><p>
"It's a political decision made by a judge. I think it's a disgrace. 48,000 jobs, I approved it, it's ready to start," he told reporters.
</p><p>
The
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/20/keystone-pipeline-protest-activism-crackdown-standing-rock" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported in September that law enforcement officials are anticipating possible <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/standing-rock">Standing Rock</a>-style protests against the KXL, citing documents from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Montana.
</p><p>
The ACLU obtained a report showing that state and federal agencies may be spying on potential protesters and characterized pipeline opponents as "extremists" intent on "criminal disruptions and violent incidents" and warned of potential "terrorism."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e848d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="W3BZ3B1576662592"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="895464842747883521" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Keystone XL Belongs in the 'Trash Can of History' https://t.co/WJOdbIq38e @TarSandsAction @KXLBlockade</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/895464842747883521">1502330430.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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PG&E received a maximum sentence for the 2010 San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A striking report has revealed that 90 percent of the 137 interstate pipeline fires or explosions since 2010 have drawn no financial penalties for the companies responsible.
The article from E&E News reporter Mike Soraghan underscores the federal Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) weak authority over the fossil fuel industry for these disasters.
<p>
The government levied a mere $5.4 million in fines for the 13 pipeline explosion and fire cases in the last eight years, the analysis found.
</p><p>
"That's less than one day of profits for one major pipeline company,
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/transcanada" target="_self">TransCanada</a>. It's $2 million less than what [TransCanada CEO Russ Girling] made last year," Soraghan explained in a <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSoraghan/status/1063401798176788480" target="_blank">tweet</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="86d0b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TNSC001576662637"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1063401798176788480" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">137 fires and explosions on interstate pipelines since start of 2010. $5.4 million in fines levied by feds at… https://t.co/o4zuqObVlV</div> — Mike Soraghan (@Mike Soraghan)<a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSoraghan/statuses/1063401798176788480">1542369720.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
One of the country's largest natural gas pipeline accidents—the 2010 San Bruno, California pipeline explosion that resulted in eight deaths—fell under state jurisdiction rather than PHMSA. California authorities imposed a record $1.6 billion fine against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).
</p><p>
Although serious pipeline incidents are relatively rare—at least when you consider how much natural gas is transported every day by the country's
<a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=natural_gas_pipelines" target="_blank">3 million miles</a> of mainline and other pipelines—it's little solace to the people who have suffered from pipeline accidents.
</p><p>
Citing PHMSA data, the
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/an-old-problem-aging-pipelines-lead-to-deadly-explosions/2018/09/14/42c709b2-b865-11e8-ae4f-2c1439c96d79_story.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> reported that more than 300 people have died and 1,200 have been injured due to natural gas pipeline incidents in the last 20 years—and the nation's aging gas distribution network further increases these risks.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="23477" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5S59DN1576662637"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1025124144889966592" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">7 Hospitalized After #Pipeline Explosions in #Texas https://t.co/5sq000oE4N @PipelineandGas @keystonexI @PriceofOil</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1025124144889966592">1533243616.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
But new gas pipelines explode, too. TransCanada's Leach XPress project, which was placed in-service on Jan. 1, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/transcanada-pipeline-explodes-west-virginia-2576042392.html">exploded in Marshall County, West Virginia</a> in June. A 24-inch natural gas line, owned by Texas-based <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/energy-transfer-partners" target="_self">Energy Transfer Partners</a> and its subsidiary <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sunoco" target="_self">Sunoco</a>, exploded in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/energy-transfer-pipeline-explodes-pennsylvania-2604024050.html">Beaver County, Pennsylvania</a> in September a week after it was activated.
</p><p>
<span></span>These risks have prompted calls from environmentalists and concerned citizens to halt new fracked gas projects such as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/atlantic-coast-pipeline">Atlantic Coast Pipeline</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mountain-valley-pipeline">Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>, which have both lost key permits in recent weeks.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Those who disregard the public's widespread opposition to fracked gas pipelines seemingly always point to how safe they are and closely watched they'll be. Nothing could be further from the truth," the <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/home" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>'s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign director Kelly Martin said in an <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/11/icymi-90-all-gas-pipeline-blasts-draw-no-fines" target="_blank">online statement</a> in response to the E&E News article.
</p><p>
"We know we can't expect corporate polluters to look out for our health, but we should be able to count on our enforcement agencies to protect us. Stories like these show exactly why we should never build another fracked gas pipeline, especially when clean, renewable energy sources are abundant and affordable," Martin concluded.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b8da9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="P4BFI11576662637"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1040634048077606912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Pipeline in Hurricane Florence’s Potential Path Poses Added Danger https://t.co/73UAxfFiQS</div> — The YEARS Project (@The YEARS Project)<a href="https://twitter.com/YEARSofLIVING/statuses/1040634048077606912">1536941465.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Trending
An activist adjusts his hat while protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline during the Native Nations Rise protest on March 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. The KXL has been at the center of a contentious fight for a decade. Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
Construction on the long-delayed Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline is planned for 2019, developer TransCanada said Monday.
"Keystone XL has undergone years of extensive environmental review by federal and state regulators," TransCanada spokesman Matthew John told Omaha World-Herald. "All of these evaluations show that Keystone XL can be built safely and with minimal impact to the environment."
<p style="">
The move comes after <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">President Trump</a>'s State Department—<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-environmental-review-2596431586.html" target="_blank">in response to a judge's order</a>—released a nearly 340-page <a href="https://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/286279.pdf" target="_blank">draft review</a> on Friday that said the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipeline">pipeline</a>'s alternative route approved by Nebraska regulators <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/keystone-xl-vote-2511009516.html">in November</a> will have "no significant direct, indirect or cumulative effects on the quality of the natural or human environments."
</p><p style="">
<span></span>"Prompt cleanup response would likely be capable of remediating the contaminated soils before the hazardous release reaches groundwater depth," the report also said.<span></span>
</p><p style="">
The KXL has been at the center of a contentious fight for a decade. If built, the $8 billion, 1,184-mile pipeline will transport heavy crude oil from Alberta's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tar-sands" target="_blank">tar sands</a> through Montana and North and South Dakota to connect with an existing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone">Keystone pipeline</a> in Nebraska.</p>
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word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">ACLU on Instagram: “After the protests at Standing Rock, leaked documents revealed law enforcement collaborated with private security contractors to employ…”</a></p>
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<p style="">President Obama <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/obama-keystone-xl-pipeline-would-not-make-a-meaningful-long-term-contr-1882117934.html" target="_blank">rejected</a> the KXL in 2015 partly due to concerns about its contribution to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_blank">climate change</a>, but President Trump <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-dakota-access-pipeline-2211697835.html" target="_blank">reversed the decision</a> shortly after taking office.</p>
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</p><div id="7a42c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="UUB6M21576683796"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="662741251565842433" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: President Obama rejects #KeystoneXL pipeline. Thank you #NoKXL movement! https://t.co/xeQ7K1M6JU https://t.co/wk3rm8gTzL</div> — RAN (@RAN)<a href="https://twitter.com/RAN/statuses/662741251565842433">1446844802.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p style="">Indigenous groups worry that its path would cross drinking water sources and treaty territories.
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/native-groups-sue-to-stop-keystone-xl-2604222357.html">Earlier this month</a>, the Fort Belknap Indian Community of Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota asked a Montana judge to rescind the permit granted by the Trump administration, saying it did not assess how the pipeline would impact their water and sacred lands.<br></p><p style="">
<span></span>Environmental groups sharply criticized the Trump administration's review and vowed to fight the project.
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“The Trump administration sees no problem with building Keystone XL—in other news, the grass is still green and the sky is still blue,"
<a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign director Kelly Martin said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/09/trump-administration-releases-sham-review-keystone-xl" target="_blank">press release</a>. </p><blockquote>Keystone XL is a threat to our land, water, wildlife, communities, and climate. We've held off construction of this pipeline for 10 years, and regardless of this administration's attempts to force this dirty tar sands pipeline on the American people, that fight will continue until Keystone XL is stopped once and for all.</blockquote><p>
Builders have already started preparing pipe yards, transporting pipe and mowing parts of the project's right-of-way in Montana and South Dakota, the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2018-09-24/keystone-xl-developer-plans-to-start-construction-in-2019" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> wrote.
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<span></span>Last week, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/20/keystone-pipeline-protest-activism-crackdown-standing-rock" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported that state and federal law enforcement officials are already anticipating possible <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/standing-rock" target="_blank">Standing Rock</a>-style protests against the KXL, citing <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/new-documents-reveal-government-plans-spy-keystone-xl-protesters" target="_blank">documents</a> from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Montana.
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The ACLU obtained a
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4325264-May-2017-Field-Analysis-Report.html" target="_blank">report</a> showing that state and federal agencies may be spying on potential protesters and characterizes pipeline opponents as "extremists" intent on "criminal disruptions and violent incidents" and warned of potential "terrorism."
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</p><div id="dd448" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="IUH8871576683796"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1042685991905972224" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">'Treating protest as terrorism': US plans crackdown on Keystone XL activists https://t.co/uyI2AMMI6T</div> — Guardian Environment (@Guardian Environment)<a href="https://twitter.com/guardianeco/statuses/1042685991905972224">1537430687.0</a></blockquote></div>
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The Keystone XL pipeline would pass through Montana as it transports crude oil from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. Andrew Burton / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Two indigenous groups are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to stop the Keystone XL pipeline, NPR reported Monday.
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The Fort Belknap Indian Community of Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota are asking a Montana judge to rescind the permit granted by the administration in 2017, saying it did not assess how the pipeline would impact their water and sacred lands.
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"As President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, I want to make it perfectly clear, and give fair warning to President Trump, Secretary Zinke, The United States Army Corps of Engineers, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/transcanada" target="_self">TransCanada</a> and their financial backers and potential investors, South Dakota Governor Daugaard, Representative Noem, and Senators Thune and Rounds that the Rosebud Sioux Tribe opposes the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Through our attorneys—the <a href="https://www.narf.org/" target="_blank">Native American Rights Fund</a> (NARF)—the Rosebud Sioux Tribe will use all means available to fight in the courtroom this blatant trespass into <em>Sicangu</em> <em>Lakota</em> territory," Rosebud Sioux Tribe President William Kindle said in a <a href="https://www.narf.org/keystone-xl/" target="_blank">NARF statement</a>.
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The Keystone XL pipeline, which TransCanada wants to build to transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil from Alberta's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tar-sands" target="_self">tar sands</a> through Montana and North and South Dakota to connect with an existing Keystone pipeline in Nebraska, was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/obama-keystone-xl-pipeline-would-not-make-a-meaningful-long-term-contr-1882117934.html" target="_self">denied a permit</a> by former President Barack Obama in 2015.
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But almost as soon as President Donald Trump took office, he invited TransCanada, the company behind Keystone XL, to reapply for a permit that the State Department granted two months later, according to NPR.
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NARF noted in a statement that, in granting the 2017 permit, the State Department did not explain why it had ruled differently this time. It took only 56 days to approve the project after TransCanada reapplied.
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"President Trump permitted the Keystone XL pipeline because he wanted to. It was a political step, having nothing to do with what the law actually requires. NARF is honored to represent the Rosebud Sioux and Fort Belknap Tribes to fully enforce the laws and fight this illegal pipeline," NARF staff attorney Natalie Landreth said in a statement.
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The Fort Belknap Indian Community is concerned because the pipeline would travel less than 100 miles from its reservation headquarters and pass through sacred sites, as well as the ancestral lands of the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes.
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The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is concerned because the pipeline would pass within miles of the boundaries of its reservation and yards of its trust lands and members' allotments. It would also cross under the two sources of water used for the Mni Wiconi Rural Water Supply Project, which the Rosebud Sioux Tribe uses to run its own water delivery system.
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"There are countless historical, cultural and religious sites in the planned path of the pipeline that are at risk of destruction, both by the pipeline's construction and by the threat of inevitable ruptures and spills if the pipeline becomes operational," the NARF statement said.
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The lawsuit contends that no attempt was made in the permitting process to consider these risks.
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U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of Montana will hear the case, NPR reported.
</p><p>Morris <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-environmental-review-2596431586.html" target="_self">ruled last month</a> in favor of environmentalists, Native American groups and landowners who had argued that the State Department had to conduct a separate Environmental Impact Statement after the pipeline's route in Nebraska was changed since the first statement was written in 2014.</p>
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The Keystone XL pipeline at one point was going to run through the sensitive Sand Hills areas of Nebraska west of Butte. The pipeline was rerouted around the Sand Hills, but still under the Niobrara River area pictured here on July 4, 2012. Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post via Getty Images
TransCanada's long-gestating Keystone XL (KXL) tar sands pipeline was dealt another setback after a federal judge in Montana ruled Wednesday that the Trump State Department must conduct a robust environmental review of the alternative pipeline route through Nebraska.
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris sided with environmentalists, landowners and tribal plaintiffs in their challenge to the Trump administration. Pipeline opponents argued that the State Department's approval of the KXL was based on an outdated Environmental Impact Statement from 2014 of the original route, and accused the administration of trying to short-cut the permitting process.
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Morris ordered the State Department to conduct a thorough Environmental Impact Statement for the "Mainline Alternative" route, approved by Nebraska officials
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/keystone-xl-vote-2511009516.html" target="_blank">in November</a>, to supplement the 2014 review.
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In his decision, Morris said the State Department has the "obligation to analyze new information relevant to the environmental impacts of its decision," according to <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-orders-review-of-keystone-xl-pipeline/" target="_blank">Courthouse News Service</a>.
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If built, the $8 billion 1,180-mile pipeline will transport heavy crude from Alberta's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tar-sands" target="_blank">tar sands</a> to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. The controversial project has been at the center of an environmental fight for a decade. President Obama <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/obama-keystone-xl-pipeline-would-not-make-a-meaningful-long-term-contr-1882117934.html" target="_blank">rejected</a> the KXL in 2015 partly due to concerns about its contribution to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_blank">climate change</a>, but President Trump <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-dakota-access-pipeline-2211697835.html" target="_blank">reversed the decision</a> shortly after taking office.
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Plaintiffs in the case celebrated the decision.
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"This decision rejects the Trump administration's shameful attempt to ram through Keystone XL without bothering to take a hard look at its effect on wildlife and the environment," said Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the
<a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a>, in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/08/federal-court-rules-state-dept-must-conduct-full-environmental-review" target="_blank">statement</a>. "It's always been painfully obvious what a disaster this pipeline will be—not just for our climate and local communities but for endangered species like the whooping crane. There's just no excuse for approving this terrible project."
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Joye Braun, of the Wakpa Waste Camp at the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, said in a
<a href="https://nokxlpromise.org/press-release/environmental-review-ruling-kxl/" target="_blank">statement</a>: "This is a huge step to once again shut down this zombie pipeline that threatens water, our homelands, and our treaty territory. No route is acceptable for Keystone XL, and I believe a full environmental review of this alternative route will highlight the extraordinary risks this pipeline poses to us all—including highly sensitive ecological and cultural sites. This is a step in the right direction to protect our treaty territory, our Indigenous rights, and our people."
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In November, the Nebraska Public Service Commission rejected TransCanada's preferred route for the pipeline through the state. Instead, they voted for an alternative route that will cost the company millions of dollars more than the original path, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pipeline-court-keystone/judge-orders-keystone-xl-pipeline-review-in-setback-for-trump-idUSKBN1L10A5" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.
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</p><div id="a2b60" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DSFQSJ1576683805"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1024399371058782208" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Trump State Dept. Attempts 'Shortcut' to Build KXL #Pipeline, Groups Say https://t.co/HovbZWojQb @keystonexI @NoTarSands #KeystoneXL</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1024399371058782208">1533070817.0</a></blockquote></div>
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