Northern Minn In a new report released by MPCA, the agency outlines the leaks between June 8, 2021 and August 5, 2021.
In a letter that prompted the creation of the report, 32 MN lawmakers demanded that the MPCA “temporarily suspend Section 401 certification and ordered Enbridge to immediately stop all drilling along Route 3 until the state no longer experiences drought conditions. A thorough investigation can be done by your agency.”
“Severe droughts and high temperatures experienced throughout Minnesota have affected the ability of waterways, wetlands, and marshes to effectively dilute harmful chemicals and excessive sediments. Droughts also cause rapid evaporation of waterways and may result in a lack of clean water to help clean up leaks and releases. ”
The report records the composition of the drilling fluid at each leak site. In addition to water and Barakade bentonite (a mixture of clay and minerals), some sites also use a combination of one or more proprietary chemical solutions, such as Power Soda Ash, Sandmaster, EZ Mud Gold, and Power Pac- L.
In their report, MPCA did not respond to the legislator’s request for the suspension of certification, but MPCA Commissioner Peter Tester wrote a preface. He proved that the drilling fluid leakage violated the certification: “I want to be clear that MPCA’s 401 water quality certification does not Authorize the discharge of drilling fluid into any wetland, river or other surface water.”
MPCA formally approved Article 401 certification of the Clean Water Act on November 12, 2020, and filed a lawsuit on the same day to file against the decisions of Chippewa Red Lake Zone, Ojibwe White Clay Zone and Aboriginal and Indigenous Peoples appeal. Environmental organizations. More than a year later, on February 2, 2021, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected the appeal.
The ongoing struggle in court to prevent construction goes hand-in-hand with field operations. At the Red Lake Treaty Camp, one of the many Line 3 resistance communities in northern Minnesota, water conservationists counterattacked the Red Lake River Drilling, which began shortly after arriving on the site on July 20, 2021.
Throughout the drilling process, water guards from other resistance communities on the 3rd Line also joined the field battles, including the first use of chemical weapons and rubber bullets against the water guards in the 3rd Line Resistance Movement on July 29.
Our video below shows some scenes provided by Giniw Collective on July 29th, including interviews with Sasha Beaulieu, a cultural resource monitor of the Red Lake Tribe, and Roy Walks Through Hail, a water protector at the Red Lake Treaty Camp. (Video content consultation: police violence.)
Sasha Beaulieu, a cultural resource monitor of the Red Lake Tribe, tracks the water level and pays close attention to any water pollution according to her legal rights, but Enbridge, their contractors or law enforcement agencies have never allowed her to enter the area where construction and drilling are effectively observed. According to the National Historical Protection Act, tribal supervisors should be able to supervise buildings to protect archaeological sites.
On their website, Enbridge acknowledged that tribal supervisors “have the right to stop construction and ensure that important cultural resources are protected”, but Beaulieu is prevented from doing so.
On August 3, the water protection personnel of the Red Lake Treaty Camp participated in the ceremony that the drilling was about to be completed. Direct action took place that night, and the water protectors continued to gather near the drilling site the next day. Nineteen people were arrested. On the afternoon of August 4, the Honghu River Ferry was completed.
Enbridge stated that it has completed the drilling of the river crossing point and the construction of its new Line 3 tar sand pipeline is 80% complete. Even so, the water protector did not flinch from battles in court or battles on the ground. (Baitu Country filed a lawsuit on behalf of Wild Rice on August 5, 2021; this is the country’s second “natural rights” lawsuit.)
“Water is life. This is why we are here. This is why we are here. Not only for ourselves, but also for our children and grandchildren, even those who don’t understand, we are also for them.”
Featured picture description: The yellow oil boom hangs over the Clearwater River where the drilling fluid is leaking. Photo taken by Chris Trinh on July 24, 2021
Post time: Sep-18-2021
