Rally Targets Pipeline as Enbridge Begins Line 5 Reroute Construction Near Bad River

April 22, 2026

Contact: 
Tommy Navarre, Three Waters Pipeline Resistance Team, [email protected] : mailto:[email protected]
Mark Tilsen, Indigenous Environmental Network, [email protected] : mailto:[email protected]  



SAINT PAUL, Minn. — A coalition of Indigenous water protectors and climate activists gathered outside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District headquarters during the Tuesday, April 21st, evening rush hour, demanding a halt to construction on the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline now underway in northern Wisconsin.


The rally, held at the corner of 4th and Robert Streets, comes as Enbridge crews have begun clearing trees along the pipeline corridor as part of its construction activities on a 41-mile corridor designed to circumvent the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation. 


The Bad River Band voted three years ago to evict the pipeline from its territory due to severe erosion and the threat of a rupture into Lake Superior. 

In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Enbridge is illegally trespassing on the Bad River Reservation and ordered the pipeline segment removed by June 2026. However, in March 2026, the same judge stayed that shutdown order pending appeal, citing economic and foreign policy concerns, allowing Line 5 to continue pumping oil through the pipeline until the reroute is complete.


The Bad River Tribe remains defiant in the face of Enbridge’s construction.

“We shall prevail, as many of our ancestors have proven and guided our resiliency and strengths, we stay connected, to each other, to Earth,” said Tribal Councilwoman Aurora Connolly. 


The St. Paul District of the Army Corps has federal permitting jurisdiction over the Wisconsin pipeline project, which would install new pipe and cross 186 water bodies. 
 
"We know the consequences," said Tommy Navarre of the Three Waters Pipeline Resistance Team, speaking ahead of the demonstration. "We know the damage this will cause to the Great Lakes. We know the lies that Enbridge will tell to try to make it all right."


The construction comes despite ongoing legal challenges in federal court. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued key permits for the route in 2024. This is not Enbridge’s first controversial project cutting through Native lands. 


Mark Tilsen, Oglala Lakota and the National Pipeline Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network, emphasized the connections fighting pipelines in the region.

”As we fight one pipeline, we fight all pipelines. I know there were thousands of people from the Twin Cities who came to Standing Rock fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline, and thousands came to northern Minnesota to fight Enbridge's Line 3. I think it’s important for Bad River to know they are not alone, and we’re here to let everyone know they are building this pipeline right now.” 


For Crow Belcourt, executive director of the Indigenous Protector Movement and an enrolled member of the Bad River Tribe, this is personal.  His family roots trace directly to the area of Wisconsin now impacted by the pipeline; the fight against Line 5 is an extension of promises made by ancestors.

"We must fight against Line 5 because our chiefs fought to retain our hunting and fishing rights, and that is why we must stand against all pipelines," Belcourt said.

Joey Oppegaard-Peltier of Mukwa, a nonprofit group promoting Indigenous rights and well-being, emphasized that the pipeline's path cuts through lands used for subsistence and cultural practices beyond the reservation boundaries.

"Mukwa opposes these permits as construction begins in Wisconsin," Peltier said. "We stand united with those resisting Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, as this route endangers traditional and foraging territories. As our life sources are being impacted, it is crucial to protect our natural food and medicine sources for our communities and future generations."


The rush-hour rally, attended by around 40 people, concluded with a short solidarity walk from the Army Corps building to the banks of the Mississippi River.  This action took place against the backdrop of what organizers describe as a fabricated "energy emergency" at the federal level.

Supporting the event, and ongoing opposition, is a broad coalition of local organizations, including the Red Nation, an Indigenous advocacy group that focuses on decolonization; the Sunrise Movement, which has been incredibly vocal in resisting ICE operations in the Twin Cities but is primarily focused on climate change; the Minnesota Sierra Club North Star Chapter; as well as the Climate Justice Committee and the Anti-War Committee.


In response to the event, Tribal Chairwoman Liz Arbuckle of the Bad River Tribe thanked everyone for raising awareness of this issue.

“I’m grateful for the support Bad River has received from other Tribes, our local neighbors, and people across the nation. To see such an outpouring of concern and solidarity from these disparate communities shows how, at our core, we are bound by a need and desire for clean water to drink, a clean environment for animals and plants to thrive in, and a commitment to the highest quality of life for our people. We hope the Court will keep the stay in place and hear us out fully in the weeks to come.” 


One Last Hurdle

For Enbridge, one of the final obstacles on its Line 5 project is obtaining a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permit required for four critical water crossings.

The permits would cover Beartrap Creek, Little Beartrap Creek, Bay City Creek, and an Unnamed Tributary to Brunsweiler River all in Iron County. 

Submit comments: Deadline: May 2, 2026
Email: [email protected] a voice message at (608) 347-0240, By mail to: Macaulay Haller, 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI, 53707-7921.



The Indigenous Environmental Network - PO Box 485 - Bemidji - MN - 56619

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