Hanging out in the garden.

From July 11-13th, Mona Polacca, IEN’s Indigenous Water Ethics Organizer and a member of the International Council of Thirteen Grandmothers, participated in a gathering for the Religious Liberty Initiative at Notre Dame University of which she is a member of the Board of Advisors since its beginning in 2020. The Religious Liberty Initiative envisions a world in which society has more peace as a result of robust legal protections and cultural acceptance that treat the freedom of religion or belief as a foundational component of human flourishing for all people. Grandmother Mona has and continues to be a respected and influential voice for Indigenous Peoples’ spiritual and cultural rights at international negotiations. At the Hague in 2008 "Faith in Human Rights," Mona was the only Indigenous participant from Turtle Island and one of the contributors for the religious leaders pledge to uphold the Universal Declaration and freedom of religion or belief. And at the United Nation Conference(s) of the Parties, and international water rights gatherings she contributes to the protection of our sacred waters and sites from the ravages of over-development and natural resources extraction.

IEN’s Carbon Pricing team continues its West Coast Ring of Fire circuit tour, visiting Indigenous communities in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington impacted by false solutions to climate change as well as carbon markets and offsets. Our team continues to build and strengthen relationships in the region, sharing information and resources, and distributing educational materials.

The Indigenous Environmental Network and the Earth Law Center hosted four, two-day working sessions with Indigenous relatives in Bemidji, Durango, Seattle and Toronto. These community working sessions provided background to the concept of Inherent Relationships Jurisprudence (IRJ) as a legal philosophy arising from Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and how it might be used by Indigenous Nations, organizations, etc. to advocate from. IEN aims to create a Working Group of approximately ten (10) or so people to further develop the concept of Inherent Relationships Jurisprudence and how it might be utilized and implemented as something that is legally enforceable. Furthermore, it is our goal to work with ten (10) Indigenous Nations and communities that want to incorporate IRJ into their internal structure, so as to use it externally as an advocacy framework.

IEN’s Indigenous Just Transition program hosted a three and a half day pottery workshop and cultural exchange with acclaimed Acoma Pueblo artist Mary Seymour at the Arikara Cultural Center in White Shield, North Dakota. Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara relatives participated in the workshop and stories about their journey to revitalize their traditions of pottery making were shared.  

 

A large fire was spotted Tuesday morning off Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. Shenandoah County fire officials said there was an explosion on a TC Energy Pipeline. Shenandoah County Fire and Rescue said the Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline has been shut down. Read more here…

Canadian oil corporation Enbridge has been ordered to shut down its Line 5 tar sands oil pipeline and pay the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians $5.1 million. Chief Judge William M. Conley of the U.S. District Court for Wisconsin ruled on June 16, 2023 that Enbridge must adopt a more conservative shutdown and purge plan for its remaining time on the Bad River Indian Reservation. Read more here…

TC Energy Corp. is selling a 40% interest in its Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission pipelines in a deal with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). TC Energy is divesting a 40% stake in the pipeline systems for $3.9 billion (CA$5.2 billion) in cash. The Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf pipeline systems will be organized in a joint venture partnership between Calgary-based TC Energy and private equity firm GIP. The two companies will jointly invest growth capital to enhance the systems’ capacity and reliability, in addition to annual maintenance and modernization investments. TC Energy will continue to operate the pipelines after closing, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter. Read more here…

Ultimately, the future of the pipeline is still uncertain. Its completion can’t be guaranteed as it still waits for the 4th Circuit Court to decide whether to dismiss the pending two cases challenging the project.

 

If the court decides to dismiss the cases, the environmental groups could potentially pursue legal recourse through the D.C. Circuit Court, which was the court Congress granted jurisdiction through the debt ceiling bill. But if the court decides not to dismiss the lawsuits, the environmental groups could try to halt construction again as their cases continue to work through the court.

 

For now, what comes next will be determined by how the 4th Circuit Court rules over the motion to dismiss the cases. Until then, construction on the pipeline can continue. READ MORE HERE

The last time the federal government raised the amount that oil and gas companies have to pay to drill on public land was in 1960 — the same year that four unknown, floppy-haired Brits formed a band called The Beatles. Other aspects of the Department of the Interior’s oil and gas leasing regime are more than a century old. The Biden administration proposed what would be a substantial overhaul of this system, a broad new set of rules that would dramatically increase the operators’ financial obligations, boost the royalties that companies pay and tighten permissive leasing regulations. Read more here…

We have known that the water is a reflection of us since time immemorial. However, our rivers and water have been impacted by human activity such as agriculture, sewage waste and abandoned mines. But I and other Apsáalooke researchers are working together to understand the quality of our water systems and how this poses risks to our community members and cultural practices. As Apsáalooke researchers we are testing the water of our neighbors, friends and family — and by leading this research we are contributing to our individual, community, cultural, and tribal autonomy. Read more here… 

Read the open letter here… 

Thousands of miles of carbon dioxide pipelines planned in the Midwest have been spurred, in part, by a major expansion of federal tax credits in Democrats’ 2022 climate law. That could lead to billions of dollars per year in federal tax credits benefiting the powerful Midwest ethanol industry, even as the proposals create intense conflicts between developers and local landowners worried about pipelines on their property. Read more here… 

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