Nebraska, March 20, 2013 – Native Groups from Canada and the United States Oppose Destruction of Sacred Lands, Dangerous Climate Impacts
The Canadian government has employed new efforts to force dirty pipeline projects upon First Nations by appointing a special envoy to evaluate the relationship between the energy industry and native groups. First Nations are not buying into this thinly veiled ploy, though, and have ramped up efforts to put a stop to Keystone XL, Northern Gateway, and other dirty energy projects from the likes of TransCanada and Enbridge.
Chief Reuben George of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation north of Vancouver put it this way, “It's time to act against the federal government's resource development agenda. We, as a nation, have to wake up. We have to wake up to the crazy decisions that this government's making to change the world in a negative way.’”
More from the The Canadian Press:
“An alliance of First Nations leaders is preparing to fight proposed new pipelines both in the courts and through unspecified direct action.”
“Native leaders from both Canada and the United States were on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to underline their opposition to both the Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipelines.”
“Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said natives are determined to block the pipelines. ‘It's going to be a long, hot summer,’ he said at a news conference. ‘We have a lot of issues at stake.’"
Phil Lane Jr. of the American Yankton Sioux, said native groups south of the border will stand with their Canadian cousins. ‘We're going to stop these pipelines on way or another,’ he said”
“Chief Martin Louie of the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation in northern B.C., said the pipeline opponents will never back down. ‘If we have to keep going to court, we'll keep doing that,’ he said. He said the stakes are high and go beyond native issues. ‘We're the ones that's going to save whatever we have left of this Earth,’ he said.”
For more information contact Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska, jane@boldnebraska.org, 402-705-3622.