The movement to Stop Line 3 in Canada and the Midwest has seen a rapid increase in protests after five years of continuous demonstrations. The group is primarily composed of Indigenous organizers and tribal governments as well as climate justice activists. It is fighting Enbridge, a Canadian multinational fossil fuel company, who is building the pipeline. The new Line 3, which is supposed to replace the Line 3a crude oil pipe that runs from Alberta, Canada, to northwest Wisconsin, is Enbridge's largest project. It would cross three Indigenous reservations in Minnesota if it is built. This includes land that the Treaty of 1855 granted the Ojibwe people rights to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice.AdvertisementClimate and Indigenous justice groups//right// mention Indigenous sovereignty, land rights, treaty rights and climate change as reasons to stop the construction of pipelines. Enbridge and the state police have responded aggressively to these actions. Seven elderly women were arrested by Minnesota law enforcement, to whom Enbridge paid $750,000 in April to police Line 3 protesters.AdvertisementAdvertisementWinona LaDuke was one of those seven women. She was an Ojibwe leader, Indigenous rights activist and was held in jail for three nights. LaDuke, a former Green Party vice-presidential candidate and activist who have been fighting for the replacement of Line 3 for almost a decade, has been appointed guardian at litem for Shell River by both her tribe and the 1855 Treaty Commission. The completed pipeline would cross five locations.AdvertisementSlate interviewed LaDuke about his organizing at Stop Line 3 as well as protesters' demands for the Biden administration to address climate justice and Indigenous rights. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.Sofia Andrade: What is it like to be on the frontlines protesting Enbridges Line 3?Winona LaDuke says: This is where wild things are. It is the place where rivers are clean. It is our home. Wild rice is the only place on the planet that can grow it. Enbridge is planning to build the last tar-sands pipeline. Because everyone is selling, it's the last tar-sands pipeline. It's almost like the end to the era of tar sands. It is a Canadian multinational running rampant over the northern states and people who live there. This is because the Enbridge mainline is located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Were they here, and now they're running over us [and] one fifth of the [fresh] water in the world. We said, it was time to stop. It's basically selling our rights, water rights, political rights, land, and all of our land to a Canadian multinational. They are crazy, I think.AdvertisementAdvertisementWe're going to fight it out, man. For the past two months, I've lived on Shell River. Shell Lake was where I spent the majority of my childhood. But, this river comes from the lake, and it is beautiful. It is home to the finest wild rice. It is the dryest river in history. The river is 50%, 60% lower than it should be. Minnesota just donated 5 billion gallons water to a Canadian multinational to help [build] the last tar-sands pipeline. That's insane. This is basically putting the entire ecosystem at stake to make a quick buck. This pipeline is worse than Keystone.AdvertisementAlso, you were just arrested on the frontlines?Last week, I was taken into custody. I am ashamed that Minnesota would jail a group elder women. To protect the Canadian corporation, I will be there for three nights and some for two. I'm fine. But, I don't make much of it. More than 600 people were arrested. Why are so many people being arrested for the pipeline? The frac-out on Willow River, which was committed by the corporation, was something we were looking at two weeks ago. A cop told us that if I got out, the river would be empty and that we would be arrested.AdvertisementAdvertisementAre you satisfied that the Biden administration has done enough to assist the Indigenous communities and organizers in their efforts to stop Line 3 from happening?Are you kidding?! This should be a matter for the federal government! They are doing nothing. Biden acts like he has canceled one pipeline to get a gold star. You don't get a golden star from Mother Earth for allowing Line 3 to proceed. A planet does not give you a gold star. That's one. They didn't make an environmental impact statement.It was mentioned by you that Line 3 is worse than Keystone in terms of climate. This is why it is important that Biden considers this a climate issue after running on the most progressive climate agenda.AdvertisementThis is equivalent to 50 new coal-fired electricity plants. This is really stupid. It's best to leave it alone. He must be the president who leads for a just transition. We expect Harris and Biden will lead for a just transition. They should not be essentially prostituting the Canadian pipeline industry. This pipeline runs through Ojibwe Country's heart, right in the middle of an era when the world is on fire. This is a bad pipeline. There are no good tar sands pipelines.AdvertisementEnbridge currently has $24 billion in old pipelines that are slowly falling apart. We need to get ahead. It is time to move away from this infrastructure. We need water and sewer pipes, both for humans and the environment.AdvertisementAs part of a just transition away fossil fuels, federal lawmakers such as Ed Markey or Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez have created programs like Civilian Climate Corps. What do you want from a just Transition?It is urgently needed in northern Minnesota. Or we'll spend our entire lives fighting for pipes and mines and for half of the world's water. We need to make a fair transition from local food, local energy and energy efficiency to renewable energy.Enbridge sent 4,300 workers here. You know what? Give us 4,300 workers to transform the economy. That would be a great deal.What do you think should be done by the Biden administration to support other important aspects of Line 3 protests like Indigenous rights, treaty right, land and water rights, and Indigenous rights? What demands are there from organizers?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere are Bears Ears and Chaco Canyon, but they're not all the same. These sacred sites are at risk of being desecrated by oil and gas mining companies as well as large agricultural water projects. Protect the sacred. Support Indigenous peoples' rights in the world. Our sacred world is our only source of life. We were so hurt. You know what? Make sure that Indigenous people are included in the just transition.What information do you need to know about Line 3 right now?It is brutal up there. I am watching a pipeline tear through my territory. This isn't something abstract. It's a brutal rape in the north. I am standing at the edge of the easement, watching it with a group of women. It's how it feels. It was three days, and I'm sure I'll spend more time in prison. Joe Biden needs to care. It's wrong.
