The Line 5 Reroute: A Matter of Life and Death

For Tribal People, environmental protection is a matter of life and death. Currently, we must all join the fight to save Lake Superior for those who rely on it for survival. We must stop the reroute of Line 5.

When I envision Lake Superior, a childhood memory comes to mind: a vast body of water that seemed endless and full of life. I remember the wind and blinding sun on my face, and holding onto my father’s hand as we stood at the edge of the water in Ashland, not far from the Bad River Reservation.

I always assumed my first solo trip to Lake Superior would be to spread his ashes. This summer, I had planned to bring him home to the reservation he had protected in 1996, when he barricaded the tracks with Walt Bressette and other tribal activists to prevent the passage of sulfuric acid onto the reservation. I had hoped my first trip alone would be to reconnect and stand on the edge of the Gigigami. I would appreciate its beauty, give thanks for all it provides, and say a final goodbye to the person who taught me to protect the planet.

Unfortunately, this was not a trip to reconnect or lay a loved one to rest. Tribal history has repeated itself, and the Bad River Reservation is in need of protection once again. On August 12th, I joined other activists to participate in public testimony in opposition to the Line 5 reroute.

Line 5 has been operating illegally on the Reservation since 2013. Severe flooding has inched the pipeline closer to environmental destruction, and the thirty-three ruptures of the line prove that it is time for decommission. The 645-mile pipeline runs from the tar sands of Alberta, through the Midwest, and ends in Ontario. While the pipeline lies underneath our soil, Bad River does not utilize the majority of the pipeline’s products.

However, Enbridge wants Wisconsin to believe we rely on them for crude oil and propane. Therefore, they are calling on supporters to back the reroute.

The day of testimony began bright and early at the Northwoods Technical College. The hearing commenced after 9:00 am, but by 7:30 am, Enbridge supporters had gathered in the parking lot. A complete embodiment of corporate greenwashing, they chartered a bus filled with supporters clad in green shirts that read, “Support Line 5”. Supporters and union workers set up a canopy tent and handed out refreshments. They stood in lockstep with the lawyers, who encouragingly whispered with some before the day began. Once supporters had proven their admiration for Enbridge, several hurried out of the courtroom, eyes to the floor.

These testimonies stood on the confidence of Enbridge and the DNR’s proposed construction. They believe the reroute is safe for farmlands, forests, and the Great Lakes. They testified that horizontal directional drilling and blasting will be a safe operation for our pristine wetlands. Countless oceanographers, hydrologists, and geologists disagree.

Some public supporters labeled opposition as “ideological” and “political”. Personally speaking, it felt that some insinuated that Bad River activists are selfish: uncaring of employees who depend on Enbridge. They questioned how they would ever live without the reroute.

I ask, how will we live with a reroute? Our soil will be contaminated, our water poisoned. We will suffer from chemical exposure. Our wild rice will not grow. We will be forced to evacuate our homes as clean-up crews try to salvage the biodiversity of the surrounding area.

While this support for Enbridge is troubling, it’s crucial to recognize Enbridge has worked hard to garner public support for years. This is accomplished with a storefront in Mackinac, pledging support for native businesses, and advertisements for well-paying jobs. Public supporters spoke with fear, telling America’s dairy state that farmers rely on Enbridge for energy, and without it, our way of life would crumble.

However, Wisconsinites buy propane through several companies. U.S. Energy, Burnett Dairy Cooperative, and Synergy Cooperative, to name a few. Without Enbridge, we would still have several options to heat our homes.

Beyond this, fossil fuels continue to dwindle. Is this really the time to invest in the reconstruction of a 72-year-old pipeline with a history of ruptures? Dependence on fossil fuels cannot change overnight, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid transitioning to renewable energy. This would be safer for our waterways and create sustainable, long-term job opportunities for Wisconsin and beyond.

Despite this, oil tycoons that threaten native land know they must divide the public. If we forget about our common need for clean water, it is easier to tear us apart. When a company cares about public opinion instead of public safety, it employs strategies to make us turn on each other. It is easier to poison the ground beneath our feet if we stand divided. This is a universal issue we must overcome.

Enbridge’s track record speaks for itself. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Enbridge’s recent oil spill in Jefferson County was the worst in Wisconsin history. The spill of over 69,000 gallons of crude oil makes it difficult to believe they prioritize public safety. If they did, why was the public not informed of the oil contamination for a full month?

Several activists, including myself, spoke on the repeated spills Enbridge has caused. Some testified about their knowledge of harmful chemical exposure, and others spoke about wetland destruction. Enbridge’s representatives cross-examined some activists about their expertise and employment, as if that should dictate who can raise concerns about clean water.

The truth is, we cannot risk Wisconsin’s wetlands and the Great Lakes. No amount of empty promises will save us from environmental devastation. Enbridge has already spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Midwest. While we currently need propane for daily life, we don’t need Enbridge to destroy our farmlands, northwoods, and Great Lakes. Clean water must be prioritized before all else. Not just for Bad River tribal members, but for everyone.

Line 5 should not raise conflict amongst the public. Animosity cannot save the Great Lakes. Many activists fully understand the need for jobs on the pipeline, and therefore would fully support a switch to clean energy infrastructure. Should Enbridge learn from its mistakes and switch to sustainable energy, I would be the first supporter in their corner. I would be thrilled to see clean energy jobs increase in Wisconsin.

But this is not a conflict about jobs, energy, and infrastructure. At the end of the day, it isn’t even solely a tribal issue. It is an issue of public safety. It is about an inevitable oil spill into the Great Lakes, which is over 20% of the world’s freshwater resources.

At the end of the long day of testimony, I felt tired and angry. Anger that what I felt is a simple decision between right and wrong has divided us. I needed a reminder of what the long fight for environmental protection is for. In a ribbon skirt and wrinkled button-up, I stood in Lake Superior and watched the gentle waves lap at the shore’s edge west of Odanah. I waved to a family of four laughing in their boat. I knew it was not time for rest, despite frustration and exhaustion. How could I possibly return my father to the earth when it’s about to be destroyed?

Our struggles as tribal people are all connected. Our past informs our present. I thought of the Sandy Lake Tragedy. The shorn braids of the boarding school children. The rape of our land and bodies. The broken treaties and the walleye wars.

I thought of the countless people who came before my generation, who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into action; who fought for cultural identity and sustainability. I thought of a distant memory of my father, one of our last conversations. Staring up at the stars in the warmth of a campfire, he told me with sadness and anger in his eyes of another environmental hazard proposed on a sacred waterway. He told me he would do whatever it took to stop it. I thought of the exhausting and ever constant fight to protect the earth. I thought about how our fight is directly tied to indescribable grief and overwhelming love for all those who fought before us.

Our ancestors’ souls cannot rest. Not until the planet they protected is safe.

I walked back to my car to begin the long drive home. But Bad River is my home, too. It’s the home to creatures of every shape and size, human and non-human relatives. The reservation and Lake Superior are beyond precious and must be protected in every way possible. To fight for the land and for descendants you will not live to meet is to love with your whole being.

Looking back to the water one more time, I made a promise to do everything I could to protect her.

I am asking you to help me protect her, too.

By Gracie Waukechon, Bad River Youth Activist