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We are the 99 percent

Michigan Activists Block Tar Sands Pipeline #MICATSACT

Posted 10 years ago on July 22, 2013, 1:31 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags: environment, michigan, tar sands

Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands

via MI CATS:

This morning Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI-CATS) is taking direct action near Stockbridge to halt construction of the Tar Sands pipeline 6B expansion project of Canadian corporation Enbridge. Over 40 Michiganders have come to oppose the infamous corporation’s flagrant expansion of the very same pipeline that spilled out into the Kalamazoo River only three years ago. Enbridge claims they have restored the river after a spill is no excuse to expand the pipeline, expanding the pipeline increases the risk for everyone.

Residents are currently halting Enbridge’s construction plans by putting their bodies on the line in an act of non violent civil disobedience against Enbridge’s plans. At least 6 people have been arrested so far as police attempt to shut down the protest. 4 people are currently locked down to construction equipment and refusing to move. Police have arrested their medical support team and threaten to arrest anyone who tries to approach them.

Check into the MI CATS Facebook Page for up to the minute updates and photo uploads.

These measures come after the exhaustion of every method within the law, as it has has become apparent from our experiences all throughout the state. Our state government is ready to set aside its own laws and legal processes to accommodate this foreign corporation.

Enbridge itself has consistently demonstrated that their sole priority is their own bottom line, not the health and safety of the people of Michigan, our ecosystem, and even their own workers.

Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands seeks to unite the people of Michigan toward the common goal of stopping all transportation of tar sands oil in the state and advocating against the production and transportation of tar sands everywhere. We work in solidarity with the global movement against harsh fossil fuel extractive practices.

According to one person who is participating in this action:

“This pipeline is a disaster for Michigan’s water and the global climate. I’m blockading this pipeline to prevent the next spill because I care about Michigan’s air and water. People all over the world are taking action in their own community this Fearless Summer. We need to leave all fossil fuels in the ground.”
-William Lawrence of East Lansing

We will not allow Canadian tar sands to pass through our backyards. We will no longer allow the same Canadian corporation responsible for the tar sands which still lie at the bottom of our Kalamazoo River to place all of us at risk. We are taking this action to protect from another spill and to ensure a livable planet for generations to come.

Location of the action is the Enbridge 6B easement off of Grimes west of M-52 near Stockbridge, MI. Look for the orange construction signs and the police presence. Hashtag ‪#‎micatsact‬.

Updates on the action will continue, as events unfold.

21 Comments

21 Comments


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[-] 2 points by WSmith (2698) from Cornelius, OR 10 years ago

It was time to end fossil fuel in the 70s with Earth Day. But Big $ and Oil fought back with the Powel Memo ( http://reclaimdemocracy.org/powell_memo_lewis/ ), and the push back (war against ecology, environment, alternative energy) that ensued. The old and entrenched money behind fossil fuel will gladly kill the world squeezing the last few million$ from the grandfathered infrastructure of their filthy industry for which we all pay the externalities: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTRENENERGYTK/Resources/5138246-1237906527727/Introduction_to_Environmental_Externality_Costs.pdf

We have needed to find and use alternative fuels for a long time, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!!!!

[-] 1 points by 99nproud (2697) 9 years ago

More of this is required

[-] 1 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 10 years ago

Here's another good Powell Memo link for reference:

http://www.thwink.org/sustain/articles/017_PowellMemo/index.htm

And remember what GM did to the EV-1? Think how much further along we'd be if they had continued instead of caving to Big Oil. Fucking criminals.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/who-killed-the-electric-car/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F

I bookmarked your pdf link to check out tomorrow. Looks good.

[-] 2 points by tankcoil (37) 10 years ago

I do support the revolution against greedy leaders. But do you really have a master plan with concrete ideas for the change from the core? I do not believe Arab-resistance will metamorphose the greedy leaders into honest leaders. We need something else besides the resistance/revolution. Until that something else is found, all victories will be patchworks and not summary achievement as stable living environment.

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 10 years ago

Pipeline skater, runs for Michigan Senate.

Get the money out!!

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/01/10/chris-wahmhoff-runs-mi-senate/

[Removed]

[Removed]

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 10 years ago

In compliment: ( Moms Clean Air Force )

We are incredibly lucky that Gina McCarthy was recently confirmed as the head of the EPA. But we are also privileged that a woman of her calibre, integrity and strength would make it her life's work to protect our air. I want to use this letter to introduce you to her, in a personal way. We'll be hearing a great deal about Administrator McCarthy's work over the next year.

Only a few short years ago, I couldn't have told you the name of the EPA Administrator -- or even why her job was important. Like most of us, I just assumed that no one in their right mind would fight for the right to pollute our air, so that all the EPA had to do was enforce those good laws that came about way back in the 1970s. That's when the Clean Air Act was passed, and the EPA was created -- under President Richard Nixon, with bipartisan support.

Please take a moment to read Gina McCarthy's post on what inspires her to go to her very difficult job each and every day: her three children.

Gina McCarthy will be leading the charge against the excessive carbon emissions that amplify global warming. This is the single most urgent issue facing humankind. It is enormous in scale, and nearly unimaginable in duration--global warming is changing our climate in ways that will affect us thousands of years. We're already seeing global warming's affect on the searing drought in the nation's breadbasket, in the raging Western wildfires bigger and faster than any ever recorded, and in the super storms flashing across the country.

It is not too late to slow the pace of climate change. We have the power to support the scientists and engineers and politicians who know exactly what must be done: cut greenhouse gas emissions. And lead the world in building a vibrant new energy economy that doesn't foul the air we breathe--and harm our children's health. You can read an important speech Administrator McCarthy gave at Harvard Law School on this very topic.

My two sons keep me going. But even if I weren't a mom--my love of this incredibly gorgeous miracle of a planet we live on would give me the same charge.

So fight with your moms -- about something important.

Sincerely,

Dominique Browning Co-Founder and Senior Director, Moms Clean Air Force

momscleanairforce.org | About Us | Unsubscribe

© Moms Clean Air Force 2013

[-] 1 points by MattHolck0 (3867) 9 years ago

in the commuting culture,

those with money can draw workers from a larger selection pool

[-] 0 points by 99nproud (2697) 9 years ago

Bastards!

[-] 1 points by MattHolck0 (3867) 9 years ago

listen to KP BS while you enjoy the drive

[-] -2 points by 99nproud (2697) 9 years ago

KP Bullshit? Is that military punishment lingo?

[-] 1 points by MattHolck0 (3867) 9 years ago

wall street press

[-] -1 points by 99nproud (2697) 9 years ago

That certainly would be bullshit.

Bankster fucks!

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 10 years ago

Outrageous. NBC has been running ads by a foreign oil company promoting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline but refused to run a powerful ad debunking Big Oil propaganda and urging President Obama to stand up for climate.1

The rejected ad,2 which had already been paid for and was yanked at the last minute, was scheduled to run in the Washington DC area during President Obama's appearance last night with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.

Tell NBC: Stop censoring ads opposing the Keystone XL pipeline to appease your Big Oil advertisers.

NBC affiliate WRC claimed that the ad, produced by NextGen Climate Action, violated its guidelines which state that it "may reject" an ad if "it is merely an attack of a personal nature, a direct attack on an individual business or a comment on a private dispute."3

But NBC has been running misleading ads by the fossil fuel industry on station after station and burying Washington DC decision makers with pro-pipeline propaganda. The rejected ad is clearly not "merely" a personal attack on an individual or a business. TransCanada is a foreign oil company that has spent tens of millions of dollars -- including on television ads -- to insert itself into the heart of the U.S. policy making on one of the most pressing issues of our generation, climate change.

It is unacceptable for the network to disingenuously exploit this policy, which is meant to protect individuals from spurious attacks, in order to block messaging from climate change activists that counter TransCanada's false claims.

Tell NBC: Stop censoring ads opposing the Keystone XL pipeline to appease your Big Oil advertisers.

Our campaign to stop the Keystone XL pipeline and hold the president accountable for his promise to take meaningful action on climate is making real progress.

Just last Friday, the news broke that the State Department's Inspector General had launched an investigation into the contractor that drafted the controversial environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline.4

The investigation follows an article in Mother Jones reporting that the contractor, ERM, had ties to both TransCanada (the foreign company that wants to build the proposed pipeline) and the powerful oil lobby the American Petroleum Institute.5

And two weeks ago the president had strong words countering TransCanada's pro-pipeline propaganda, telling the New York Times, "we're talking about somewhere between 50 and 100 jobs in a economy of 150 million working people.6"

The president went on to say that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline "does not bring down gas prices here in the United States. In fact, it might actually cause some gas prices in the Midwest to go up."

These statements, combined with a resurgence of grassroots activism opposing approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, have put TransCanada and those who place Big Oil's interests before those of the American people on the defensive. Over 70,000 Americans have signed a Pledge of Resistance7 (organized by CREDO Action with our allies at Rainforest Action Network and The Other 98%) to risk arrest to block approval of the pipeline. And anti-Keystone XL actions are erupting every week in communities across the nation.

We can't let them silence us as they strike back at our efforts to hold the president accountable on this issue.

Tell NBC: Stop censoring ads opposing the Keystone XL pipeline to appease your Big Oil advertisers.

The forces arrayed against us are powerful. They are spending tens of millions of dollars. Hiring legions of lobbyists. Controlling politicians at nearly every level of government. But with your grassroots pressure -- including those people who have been putting their bodies on the line -- we've been able to stop them from building this pipeline that would mean "game over" for our climate.

We need to fight TransCanada and Big Oil at every turn. A massive response to NBC and its affiliate in Washington DC will help ensure that any other media outlet will think twice before trying to censor our messages.

Please join me in taking action now.

Becky Bond, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

Automatically add your name: Sign the petition ►

Learn more about this campaign

  1. Rebecca Leber, "After Airing Pro-Keystone XL Ads, NBC Station Rejects Ad Opposing The Pipeline," Think Progress, August 7, 2013.

  2. NextGen Climate Action KeystoneXL Commercial, Youtube.

  3. NBC Universal Advertising Guildines PDF, NBCUadstandards.com.

  4. Zack Colman, "State Dept. watchdog launches inquiry into Keystone environmental report," The Hill, August 2, 2013.

  5. Andy Kroll, "State Dept. Hid Contractor's Ties to Keystone XL Pipeline Company," Mother Jones, March 21, 2013.

  6. The New York Times Interview with President Obama, The New York Times, July 27, 2013.

  7. Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance, CREDO Action.

© 2013 CREDO. All rights reserved.

[-] 1 points by occupyforcannabis (1) 10 years ago

I support this movement. I also support all measures blocking fracking, which is one of the most insidious environmental threats in the world right now.

Also, I think it is time to revise cannabis laws.

OCCUPYFORCANNABIS.ORG

In solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, but a seperate entity and specific intent. This is a human issue, and environmental issue, and an economic issue. Legalize/decrim marijuana. Occupy for the entire month of August, every city in America, startin August 1st!!!

OCCUPYFORCANNABIS.ORG!!! Make your own flyer!!!

[-] 0 points by CiennaCarter (1) 10 years ago

people who work for these corporations need to go on strike http://spiritualution.org/about/gabriel-of-urantia

[-] 0 points by Axis116 (63) 10 years ago

I am exposing my age here, but I can't help but scream "Right On!"

Never Give Up.

[-] -2 points by melsdrivein (-10) 10 years ago

2.5 Million miles of pipelines under US already. Numb-nut liberals fearful of another one predicting environmental apocalypse.

Same assholes tried stopping nuclear. Self loathing liberals, prefer to live in caves and ride bikes, than use precious energy in abundance in America.