July 22nd was North American Oil Spill Day, an annual commemoration of the 14 year anniversary of Enbridge’s catastrophic rupture of line 6B — which spilled over a million gallons of Tar Sands oil that flowed into and contaminated the Kalamazoo River.
Every day, Enbridge moves ***2.725 MILLION barrels*** of oil and 180,000 barrels of highly toxic diluent through Wisconsin to and from the Alberta Tar Sands.
In 2019 Line 13 ruptured, spilling 8,000+ gallons of highly toxic diluent at this site less than 1,000 feet from the Rock River in Fort Atkinson. Enbridge didn’t report the spill until August, 2020, when toxic fumes were still emanating from the site. In 2021 the Wisconsin DNR ordered Enbridge to continue soil and water testing on the site and to file quarterly reports.
Five years after the spill, crews continue to monitor wells and perform soil vapor extraction, with deep pools of benzene and other toxic chemicals 36 feet underground still contaminating the site. It is unlikely the site will be completely remediated.
Earlier this week at the spill site Rebecca Kemble and Mark Rosenthal spoke with retired nurse Ronni Monroe who used to live nearby. Ronni has been fiercely advocating for the health of her neighbors, the water and the land by organizing residents to attend meetings, and by reading and raising questions about every document Enbridge submits to the DNR regarding remediation efforts.
Video by River Akemann. Watch with captions on their Vimeo channel. See video for link to WI DNR file for the spill.
💧The Great Lakes are under attack, and Indigenous women and allies are rising to shutdown Line 5! 💧
Operating 20 years past its engineered life span, Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline is threatening 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater at a time of climate crisis, putting at risk sacred ecosystems, clean drinking water, treaty territories, and our global climate.
Tribal leadership, Indigenous leaders, environmental groups and allies are calling for the immediate shutdown and decommissioning of Line 5. Instead of shutting down Line 5, Enbridge is proposing to expand the pipeline, despite strong opposition.
Enbridge's proposed new route will cut through hundreds of waterways that flow into the Bad River Reservation, their extensive fisheries, the navigable waters of Lake Superior, and the Straits of Mackinac.
The existing Line 5 pipeline must be shut down and decommissioned, not simply re-routed and expanded. As climate catastrophes impact communities world wide, it is imperative to stop the expansion of all fossil fuels now!
Let’s stand with Indigenous women leaders and Tribal leadership and Stop Line 5 — join us today by signing this petition to the Army Corps of Engineers to take action (link in bio)
Please share this video and petition far and wide.
The petition drive joins growing national and regional efforts to stop Line 5 permanently. Petition signatures will be delivered ahead of the premiere of the BAD RIVER documentary film, taking place in Washington D.C. with invited congressional and government leaders and officials.
Indigenous women leaders, WECAN, Sierra Club-Wisconsin and others will deliver the petition signatures on March 13 to the Army Corps offices in Washington D.C. — more details coming soon!
#ShutdownLine5 #StopLine5 #ClimateAction #WaterIsLife #EndFossilFuels #IndigenousRights #WaterProtectors #IndigenousSovereignty #WomenLeaders #WomenLead #ClimateChange
Happening now!!! Login to the meeting! Link in our linktree
Donate to #CampPipeOut and help #ShutDownLine5
We’ve got lots of activities and workshops planned all weekend and need your support to make it happen! Funds are going to camp supplies like portapotties, childcare, fuel for cooking, food (also for cooking!), medic gear, and shelter. Plus we’re hoping to raise enough to pay the presenters and workshop facilitators who will show up to camp, from legal experts to local indigenous ecologists.
Stay tuned here for more info on the expectations for attendees and DM for details if you want to attend!
