Tribal Nations Ask Biden Administration to Condemn Enbridge Line 5 Trespassing
On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, Tribal Nations across the Great Lakes region joined together to send a letter to President Joe Biden asking the United States, as their treaty partner and ally, to break its silence and file a brief against the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline’s trespass on the Bad River Band’s land.
Trespass has been used to dispossess and destroy Tribal Nations for centuries.
–Amicus curiae brief from 32 Tribal Nations and tribal organizations supporting Bad River Band’s right to evict a corporate trespasser from tribal land:
- In October 2023, 28 Tribal Nations and four tribal organizations filed a brief in court expressing support for Bad River Band’s right to evict the corporate trespasser from tribal land.
- More than 60 Tribal Nations from across the Midwest and Canada filed a brief supporting Michigan as the state seeks to hold Enbridge accountable in state court for violating their governor’s shut down order and for operating without a lease in Michigan.
- Line 5 is an existential threat to treaty-protected rights, resources, and the fundamental way of life of the Anishinaabe people. Accordingly, all twelve Tribal Nations located in Michigan oppose the continued operation of Line 5 and support its decommissioning.
Learn More from the Bay Mills Indian Community Enbridge Information Portal, including resolutions and actions from:
- Bay Mills Indian Community
- Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
- Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
- Michigan Indian Elders Association
- Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes
- Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi Indians (aka Gun Lake Tribe)
- National Congress of American Indians
- Nottawaseppin Huron Band of the Potawatomi Indians
- Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
- Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
- United Tribes of Michigan.
Take Action: Proposed tunnel? No thanks!
For the Anishinaabe people, life began, at the Straits of Mackinac.
A proposed oil and gas tunnel at the straits threatens fish, plants, animals, fishing rights, Tribal sovereignty, a sacred place, and the Anishinaabe way of life.
Time is running out to share your thoughts on the project.
The proposed tunnel would keep Tribal Nations on the frontline of a potential oil spill for generations, keeping Tribal Nation communities at risk for another century.
Studies show that Line 5 can be shut down with almost no impact on Michigan prices or fuel supply.
Call 517-335-7858 to tell Governor Whitmer to reject the Line 5 tunnel project.
Submit feedback to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on their draft Environmental Impact Study by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30, 2025, at https://www.line5tunneleis.com/comment-here-new/.
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