Story by Women March MN Member Teresa Kleinschmidt

The pictures tell the story. A pipeline is being built along waterways, wetlands, and forests. Areas that I thought would be protected for all time. Areas that the Anishinaabe were told would be protected for their people to hunt, fish, and gather. These areas are being destroyed by Enbridge, an oil company from Alberta, Canada, which began to build a replacement pipeline to push tar sand oil through our state. They say the old pipeline needs to be replaced, but 90 percent will stay underground and corrode our land and water, while they benefit from a bigger pipeline in order to make more money.

Line 3 Construction Starts in Dec 2020; We join the fight in April 2021

Another member of Women’s March MN and I started to monitor the construction of Line 3 in April 2021. (Construction began in December 2020; it is supposed to take 2 years to build, but Enbridge is pushing to complete construction in one year.) We are volunteering with Watchthelinemn.org to photograph the construction of the line and the destruction of our forests and wetlands. What we are seeing is devastating. Most Minnesotans enjoy going “Up North” to hike, kayak, or fish, but not many know that those areas are being affected by Line 3. Wetlands and state forests, as well as state parks, are supposed to be protected in Minnesota, but these pipes are in the wetlands adjacent to Itasca State Park, beloved Headwaters of the Mississippi as well as forest and wetlands across the state.

The replacement Line 3 will cross 337 miles of northern Minnesota, including 200 bodies of water. How do you “cross” a water body? Enbridge is doing horizontal directional drilling or HDD. HDD is when they drill down underneath the waterways and push a pipe underneath it, using a “mud fluid” to make it easier to push the pipe. The “mud fluids” have to go somewhere so will likely end up in our waterways. If the pipe cracks, tar sand oil will spill, which is really difficult to clean up. It means our water will be destroyed.

You think Line 3 is a “northern Minnesota” issue? Think again.

For the last 15 years, Enbridge has averaged one oil spill a week. Line 3 will cross the Mississippi twice, which is the water that we use throughout the state, including the metro area. 

Line 3 will also be affecting wetlands and water aquifers, or groundwater. The pipes are going underground so again if there is a spill, it will affect our water. It also will affect the wild rice that the Anishinaabe harvest. Destroying the wild rice beds is considered an act of cultural genocide because wild rice is central to the culture and history of the Anishinaabe.

Women are harassed, intimidated, and trafficked

Line 3 is not only affecting the natural environment. It is affecting the small communities that exist along Line 3.  Women and young girls are reporting daily harassment from Enbridge workers. They are harassed in person, at the gas station. They receive, unwanted, sexually explicit text messages when near the gas station. At some places, female employees request to work “in the back” to avoid interaction with workers. Two Enbridge workers were charged in a sex trafficking bust in February. An influx of temporary workers to rural communities increases the risk of sexual abuse and trafficking and adds to the already alarming epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.

Why I joined the fight for clean water

I care about northern Minnesota because it is my “peaceful destination.” I love to hike, kayak, and see wildlife. I wonder at the height of the trees because they have been around for hundreds of years. They are spectacular and I want future generations to enjoy these sights but especially clean water. I can’t stand by and let Enbridge destroy our state. I don’t want the youth of today to have to budget for water bought at a store, because we didn’t stand up and say NO. We may not stop the construction of Line 3, but we can stop tar sand oil from flowing through our state and destroying our waterways. 

Join us at the Treaty People Gathering June 6-7

We need to follow the Water Protectors who have been standing up to Enbridge since the beginning. They are asking us to join them by driving to Line 3 and voicing our opposition. Treaty People Gathering, an event hosted by Honor the Earth, Giniw, and many state and national organizations are hosting this event and WMM is forming a group to join them. More details to come, but we want to know if you want to caravan with us on June 6 and 7th. You can stay overnight or join us for a day.

Sign up, and we will send you more information about what we are doing. Go to treatypeoplegathering.com for more information about the event and watch the introductory video to learn more. The goal of the event is to make noise (Women’s Marchers are good at doing this) and to get President Biden to stop Line 3 now.