Indigenous people in Canada have established a prayer camp where Enbridge’s Line 3 crosses into the U.S. This is another effort by indigenous peoples to demand treaties be respected and by landowners to resist the use of eminent domain to take their property for private gain.
The Spirit of the Buffalo camp was established early on Wednesday, July 11 near Gretna, Man.
Geraldine McManus, a Dakota two-spirit person at the camp, says they can see the crews working on the pipeline on the U.S. side of the border, where the pipeline replacement received approval on June 28.
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“We’re standing about 10, 15 feet away from them, so we’re putting ourselves right on the line,” McManus said. “We’re not letting them cross into Canada.”
Enbridge is replacing its Line 3 pipeline from Hardisty, Alta., to Superior, Wis. (The Canadian Press)
The pipeline, which was built in the 1960s, is deteriorating and is currently throttled at 390,000 barrels per day. The new 36-inch pipeline will pump tar sands oil at a capacity of 760,000 barrels per day through our communities, increasing the risk for all.