Environment | National

Mary Annette Pember: Bad River Band takes stand on oil pipeline

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

A light installation in support of efforts by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe to stop a mining project in Wisconsin. Photo: Joe Brusky

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe is calling on an energy company to remove an aging pipeline from its reservation in Wisconsin. Independent journalist Mary Annette Pember has more:

The Bad River (Mashkiziibi or Medicine River) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe is denying renewal of the Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline easement through its reservation in Northern Wisconsin.
On the evening of January 4 the Bad River tribal council passed a formal resolution not only denying the Canada based Enbridge Energy’s easement for its 64-year-old pipeline but also calling for its decommissioning and removal from all Bad River lands and watershed.
“This is truly a historic moment, as we are the first tribe to take action in this manner over a pipeline,” said Sandy Deragon, a member of the Bad River tribe.
Indeed, as noted in an article in Earth First Journal, most public and tribal opposition to pipelines has concentrated on halting new construction.
The tribe’s decision caught Enbridge leaders unawares.

Read More on the Story:
Bad River Chippewa Want Enbridge Pipeline Removed (Indian Country Today 1/16)