|
|
Amidst a historic drought and smoky haze from not-so-distant wildfires, with creek beds and rivers running dry and daily air quality and red flag warnings limiting our lives and livelihoods, Minnesota’s political leaders are allowing a foreign corporation to pump billions of gallons of water out of the headwaters of the Mississippi. All so that tar sands oil — one of the most carbon intensive fuels on the planet — can be extracted, moved, and burned.
Doubling this travesty is the fact that the Line 3 pipeline infringes on the treaty rights of indigenous Minnesotans to hunt, fish, and gather. Pumping billions of gallons of groundwater during a historic drought endangers the fish, water fowl, and wild rice beds crucial to the exercise of treaty rights.
Cook County DFL stands in solidarity with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, whose governing body has asked Governor Walz to rescind the permits that are allowing Enbridge to build on treaty lands.
Climate change solutions are an essential part of he DFL platform. And yet, our leaders are not doing enough. Bolder action is necessary to pull back from a dangerous tipping point. We must work urgently to create good paying renewable economy jobs that reduce our independence on fossil fuels. The DFL has a vital role to play in building a brighter future where good paying jobs and sustainability are one and the same.
There is far too much at stake to allow Enbridge to complete Line 3. Please join us in opposing this pipeline and working for a just transition to clean energy where every worker has a place at the table.
This letter was submitted by Mike Garry, He/him/his, Cook County DFL Chair
Leave a Reply