#ClimateEmergency

Reconciliation?

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https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/01/10/Not-What-Reconciliation-Looks-Like/https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/01/10/Not-What-Reconciliation-Looks-Like/

By Zoë Ducklow 10 Jan 2019 | TheTyee.ca

judy-wilson

Judy Wilson’s Message for Canadians: ‘The Land Defenders Are Doing This for Everybody’

RCMP raids in Wet’suwet’en territory can’t bring justice, reconciliation or a better future, Neskonlith chief says.

Chief Judy Wilson of the Neskonlith First Nation, east of Kamloops, is secretary treasurer of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, a community leader, strong opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and an advocate for clean energy.

 

Coal Plant Closing

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Navajo coal plant is the next to close; the end of an industry

 

https _images.saymedia-content.com_.image_MTY5OTY5OTY4MzE2Njg3OTQ1_four_corners_power_plant_-_nara_-_544328

 

https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/navajo-coal-plant-is-the-next-to-close-the-end-of-an-industry-TkJ5Gh9Em0-G3YlYAbHxbg

Historical photo via National Archives
The Associated Press

Navajo President Jonathan Nez: ‘We are moving forward with renewable energy as our top priority’

Felicia Fonseca

Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The closure of a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation sooner than expected will be a major blow to a region where coal has been a mainstay of the economy for decades.

The Arizona Public Service Co. now plans to shutter the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, New Mexico, in 2031 when its coal contract expires rather than wait until 2038.

 

 

 

It’s All About the Water

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https://www.lakotalaw.org/resources/hot-water-preview?ceid=2659296&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_content=textlink&emci=3910ff14-db37-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=0ee92e56-bc38-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f

 
Thu, Jan 16, 2020 6:00 pm
Chase Iron Eyes, Lakota Law (info@lakotalaw.org)To:you Details

In 2016 and ‘17, you stood with Standing Rock because you knew the importance of the Lakota maxim: Mni Wiconi — water is life. Decades back, a liberal Congress understood that, too, which is why a conduit that carries fresh water from the Missouri River to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is named the Mni Wiconi Rural Water Supply System.

As described here by the Guardian, the Oglala Lakota Nation gets about half of our water through the Mni Wiconi. The other half comes from private wells and the deeper Ogallala and Arikaree aquifers. If the Keystone XL oil pipeline (KXL) is completed, it will traverse the Mni Wiconi in two locations, cross tributaries that flow into the Missouri River, and endanger both our aquifers. There literally isn’t a drop of our water supply that isn’t threatened by KXL.

If that isn’t scary enough, uranium mining — licensed by the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations in the 1950s and ‘60s and tied to nuclear weapons manufacturing — has, at times, contaminated water near Pine Ridge. Extraction looms over us in multiple ways, threatening our water and threatening our health.

It probably won’t surprise you that Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t test our water for uranium. That’s why the Oglala Sioux Tribe has conducted tests at more than a dozen locations on and surrounding Pine Ridge. We helped secure the experts and resources for the field testing and now await results from the University of South Dakota.

“Hot Water,” a powerful documentary available on Amazon, talks about the tragic effects of contamination on our people. The filmmakers have generously allowed us to share a special excerpt with you here.

Lakota Law

Oglala Lakota President Julian Bear Runner and I were both unlawfully arrested in 2017 for trying to stop the Dakota Access pipeline from traversing our Oceti Sakowin Oyate — with all charges now dismissed. In 2020, we pledge to keep fighting to safeguard water by attending to contamination issues and by doing all we can to stop KXL in its tracks.

I wish a happy New Year to you and yours, and I ask that you stay active with me in this battle. By holding our coalition together, we water protectors can and will continue to make a tremendous difference.

Wopila — Our gratitude for your attention,

Chase Iron Eyes
Lead Counsel
The Lakota People’s Law Project

Lakota People’s Law Project
547 South 7th Street #149
Bismarck, ND 58504-5859

The Lakota People’s Law Project is part of the Romero Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) law and policy center. All donations are tax-deductible.

 

 

Canadian Pipeline News

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Hereditary First Nation chiefs issue eviction notice to Coastal GasLink contractors

A hereditary chief with the Wet’suwet’en Nation said a work site for the Coastal GasLink pipeline near Houston, B.C., has been vacated after he and other hereditary chiefs issued an eviction notice.

“We’ve tried the avenues available,” said Na’Moks, who also goes by John Ridsdale.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wet-suwet-en-coastal-gaslink-na-moks-1.5415586

bc-lng-pipeline-camp-20190203

A checkpoint is seen at a bridge leading to the Unist’ot’en camp on a remote logging road near Houston, B.C., on Jan. 17, 2019. In a statement, Coastal GasLink said staff discovered felled trees near the work site on Sunday, making the road impassable. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

 

Coastal GasLink gives pipeline opponents 72-hour notice to clear way to worksite

Coastal GasLink has posted an injunction order giving opponents to its pipeline project 72 hours to clear the way to its work site in northern B.C.

The order, stamped Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court registry, addresses members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and supporters who say the project has no authority without consent from the five hereditary clan chiefs.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lng-company-posts-notice-to-clear-way-1.5419257

 

Supporters of Wet’suwet’en First Nation erect camp near road to pipeline work site

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/video-supporters-of-wetsuweten-first-nation-erect-camp-near-road-to/

 

‘What cost are human rights worth?’ UN calls for immediate RCMP withdrawal in Wet’suwet’en standoff

 

Experts say the world is watching to see if Canada heeds a call from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to immediately suspend work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline, the Trans Mountain pipeline and the Site C dam until ‘free, prior and informed consent’ is obtained from Indigenous peoples

 

https://thenarwhal.ca/what-cost-are-human-rights-worth-un-calls-for-immediate-rcmp-withdrawal-in-wetsuweten-standoff/

Better Conservation Methods

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https://thenarwhal.ca/how-a-resurgence-in-indigenous-governance-is-leading-to-better-conservation/

Far from the old mentality of ‘fortress conservation’ that deemed only empty landscapes as adequately protected, a new era of Indigenous-led conservation is not only better at protecting wild places but embraces the communities and cultures that have stewarded these lands since time immemorial

Nov 27, 2019

 

Heiltsuk-Coastal-Guardian-Watchmen-2200x1467.jpg

Members of the Coastal Guardian Watchmen inspect their crab traps near Bella Bella, B.C. Photo: Louise Whitehouse / The Narwhal

RE: North Dakota Public Service Commission

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Mon, Nov 25, 2019 12:46 pm
Phyllis Young, Lakota Law (info@lakotalaw.org)

Thanks again to all of you who sent letters to the North Dakota Public Service Commission over the past weeks. First, nearly 20,000 of you put the pressure on to hold a public hearing about doubling Dakota Access pipeline oil. On Wednesday, November 13, before a packed house, the Commission held that hearing. Having received another 15,000 letters from you backing Standing Rock’s call to deny the expansion, and after 15 hours of public testimony, the Commission is now deliberating.

Lakota Law

Of course, the pipeline’s operators came prepared with a team of five bigshot attorneys and two engineers, all of whom did their best to obfuscate the implications of doubling oil flow through the pipeline. These Big Oil advocates spent hours talking around the obvious fact that driving twice the amount of oil through DAPL will increase the potential fallout from a spill. Please watch and share our new video, which clearly shows these obstructionist efforts to hide the truth.

After our team combined with tribal leaders and Sacred Stone Camp to organize the grassroots, more than 150 water protectors attended the hearing. Many Standing Rock tribal leaders — including Chairman Mike Faith and several council members — were in the room as well, and most stayed until everything had wrapped at 12:30 a.m.

The tribe put forward three expert witnesses who punched logical holes in Dakota Access’s effort to make expanding DAPL seem safe. Now, it’s up to the Commission to see through the nonsense and make the right decision.

Please stay tuned over the coming weeks. Our sources tell us that the PSC will take its time before making its call. If they understand their duty, they will do effective research and form a proper analysis. We will, of course, keep our ears to the ground and stay in touch with you about the decision and next steps in the fights against DAPL and Keystone XL.

Wopila tanka — thank you for helping us battle Big Oil!

Phyllis Young
Standing Rock Organizer
The Lakota People’s Law Project

 

Lakota People's Law Project

Lakota People’s Law Project
547 South 7th Street #149
Bismarck, ND 58504-5859

The Lakota People’s Law Project is part of the Romero Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) law and policy center. All donations are tax-deductible.

 

 

Oil Pipeline Leaks

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My home, the Ft. Berthold Reservation, is a web of oil and gas pipelines. Here’s why I oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline.

https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/opinion/my-home-the-ft-berthold-reservation-is-a-web-of-oil-and-gas-pipelines-here-s-why-i-oppose-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-UpMu1yg8WEy7b1mJpOWv-g/

 

lisa-deville-headshot

 

“At least 18 pipelines cross under Lake Sakakawea. I strongly oppose Keystone XL pipeline because I have seen up close and personal what pipelines can do when they malfunction.”

Alaska Lawsuit

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Alaska Supreme Court hears oral arguments in kids’ climate change lawsuit

https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/alaska-supreme-court-hears-oral-arguments-in-kids-climate-change-lawsuit-MM76DmFR5EeRS-swil-y-w/

https _images.saymedia-content.com_.image_MTY3NTIxNzM0OTUyNDk0OTkw_img_4131

Several of the plaintiffs and their attorneys spoke at a press conference held outside the courthouse after oral arguments. Back row (left to right): Kaytlyn Kelly, 19, Palmer; Sebastian Kurland, 20, Juneau; Andrew Welle, attorney; Front row (left to right): Lila S, 7, Homer; Cecily S, 9, Homer; Lexine D., Gwitch’in, 10, Fairbanks; Summer Sagoonik, Inupiaq, 18, Unalakleet; Esau Sinnok, Inupiaq, 21, Shishmaref; Brad De Noble, attorney.(Photo by Joaqlin Estus)