Wisconsin DNR Protested Over Line 5 Pipeline

On January 13 a coalition of water protectors and Indigenous leaders rallied at the Wisconsin DNR’s headquarters to protest its recent approval of Enbridge’s plan to construct a 41-mile reroute of the Line 5 oil pipeline in northern Wisconsin.

The DNR granted the permits just days after it was notified of an oil spill from Enbridge’s Line 6 pipeline in Jefferson County. Moreover, Enbridge has been trespassing on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s lands for over a decade, and the reroute threatens irreversible damage to the Band’s homelands and Lake Superior.

The group of around 50 gathered at the Capitol at 9am. Indigenous Water Protectors and activists spoke and expressed their frustration that the DNR approved the permit for the Line 5 reroute, over the objections of the Bad River Band and the public, despite Enbridge’s history of oil spills and environmental destruction, and in the face of a worsening climate crisis.

The group then marched to the DNR to deliver a letter to DNR Director Greg Pils, demanding that the DNR revoke the permit and support the decommissioning and removal of Line 5. The group occupied the DNR lobby and stated their intention to stay until someone would speak with them.

Several members of the group attempted to enter the business office of the DNR but were detained by security officers and police. At the time of this release, an Indigenous elder had been arrested and taken to jail, and two other Water Protectors had been told they would be arrested if they attempted to enter the building again.

Line 5 carries up to 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids every day from Superior, WI to Sarnia, Ontario. Canadian corporation Enbridge’s oil is driving the climate catastrophe unfolding in LA and around the world. The costs are simply too high ~ Line 5 must be shut down!

To stay in the loop about activism around this issue, we urge our readers to follow ShutDown Line 5 – Protest the Water on facebook.