Working to #StopLine3

Why the Efforts to #StopLine3 Matter

The proposed Line 3 pipeline expansion would despoil the sacred land and water of Minnesota. It is a project of Canadian fossil fuel company Enbridge, to increase their exports of climate-destabilizing tar-sands oil. Line 3 construction violates treaty rights of the indigenous people to fish, hunt and harvest manoomin (wild rice, Zizania palustris). Novasutras stands with the water protectors in the call to #StopLine3.

The expanded Line 3 cuts through the soil and water of four separate treaty lands. These treaties protect the rights of Indigenous people to hunt, fish, and gather on their lands. The destruction, both from construction and inevitable spills, is already disrupting the ability of native communities to gather the sustenance they need and exercise their rights on their own lands.

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For Novasutras, holding actions to #StopLine3 are a full expression of agaya and ubuntu. The climate implications of maintaining or expanding tar-sands oil extraction are catastrophic, and the destruction of habitat associated with tar-sands mining is devastating. There is a high likelihood of leaks along the pipeline that would threaten over 200 bodies of water, including the headwaters of the Mississippi River (Enbridge has a terrible record of pipeline leak disasters). This treaty violation is a willful denial of indigenous rights.

We choose to stand in solidarity with the indigenous leaders who are using nonviolent direct action and sacred ceremony to uphold their rights.

#StopLine3 Efforts Everywhere

Joining the Water Protectors in Minnesota to #StopLine3

Indigenous Water Protectors have issued repeated calls for people to come to Minnesota and join them in their efforts. The movement has been led by indigenous women, but they are inviting allies of all backgrounds to help. Novasutras founder Dr. Michelle Merrill joined the mass actions in June 2021 as part of the Treaty People Gathering on tribal lands in Minnesota.

Civil Disobedience at San Francisco offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Novasutras joined other local organizations in signing onto a letter to President Biden urging bold and immediate action to protect the climate, honor treaties, and stop Line 3. Michelle was among the group of 18 that went in to occupy the offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the federal agency that issued the permit for the unacceptable Line 3 project); she and four others were detained and cited for this nonviolent direct action.

Livestream recordings from July 16th 2021 action

1. The first hour of what was happening inside the USACE office (with a reading of the letter, personal statements about why we were there, and many songs and chants)
2. Entering the office and knocking on doors
3. Being told we were trespassing
4. Officers arriving to arrest activists and discussion of USACE jurisdictions
5. Just after five were arrested
6. Interview with Ralph King, Water Protector, after our release

We stand in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, calling to #StopLine3. We demand that banks stop funding Line 3 and other destructive fossil fuel infrastructure. We urge President Biden and the US Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the permits for Line 3 construction.