Solidarity with the Bad River Band! – Water IS Life!

On November 14, 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) granted Canadian oil giant Enbridge Energy permits for its controversial plan to construct a new segment of its Line 5 oil pipeline in northern Wisconsin.

The 70-year-old pipeline currently cuts across the heart of the Bad River Reservation, where it has been trespassing on Tribal land for more than a decade. In 2019, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa filed a lawsuit in federal court to force its removal.Rather than shut down the aging pipeline, Enbridge applied for and received permits to build a new 40-mile section of pipeline around the perimeter of the reservation that would allow its continued operation within the Bad River watershed.

Midwest Environmental Advocates is currently providing legal representation to several organizations working to stop new construction on Line 5: League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, 350 Wisconsin and Sierra Club – Wisconsin Chapter. See their press release here. 

Emily Park, 350 Wisconsin co-executive director, said:
 “At a time when climate change is undeniably one of the most urgent threats facing our planet, it is deeply troubling that the DNR would issue permits for the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure. Prolonging the use of fossil fuels will increase the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, new diseases, and extreme weather events. Instead of building infrastructure that facilitates more carbon emissions, we should be investing in renewable energy, sustainable transportation, and technologies that will help transition to a clean energy future.”
Questions? contact@350wisconsin.org