Enbridge Resistance Tour Arrives in Stevens Point

The Enbridge Tar Sands Resistance Tour, which is traveling from Michigan to Minnesota, will arrive in Stevens Point on April 22 to create grassroots resistance against pipeline expansion.

This tour, sponsored by the Energy Action Coalition, began its trek April 14 and will stop along major pipeline areas before reaching Stevens Point on Earth Day.

Canadian Enbridge’s 61-year-old crude-oil pipeline runs through Wisconsin and the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet, as well as near the other Great Lakes.

Oilandwaterdontmix.org said the expansion, which would triple production, raises environmental concerns for the watershed, lake ecology and private landowners alike as Enbridge has a record of spills.

Wisconsinwatch.org and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources also say Enbridge was responsible for “the worst inland oil spill in U.S. history,” when a pipeline burst and oil flowed into the Kalamazoo River in 2010.

This particular pipeline is only 25 miles from Stevens Point.

“Activists from around the nation who have been on the front lines of these spills are going against the grain with the tour to enlighten and empower those communities near the pipelines to raise up and protect what they love and need to survive,” said Cailie Kafura, president of 350 Stevens Point and principle coordinator of the meet on Earth Day.

The Facebook event, “Enbridge Resistance Extravaganza,” said those who attend can hear stories from First Nations women who are against Tar Sands in Canada, hear local stories, and plan and strategize for community benefit in Trainer Natural Resource building, room 170 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Mike Wiggins, chair of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, will also share his story of grassroots efforts against the mine in the Penokee Hills.

 

Jazmine Bevers

Contributor

jbeve283@uwsp.edu

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