Native American Tribes in US and Canada Sign Historic Treaty Opposing Oil Pipelines

Indigenous nations from Canada and the United States have signed a treaty agreeing to oppose future proposals for pipeline, rail, and tanker projects that attempt to carry crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands.

(ACTIVISTPOST) On Thursday, tribes from Canada and the northern United States signed a treaty declaring their opposition to future proposals for pipelines that would carry crude oil from Alberta to other locations across Canada and the United States. The tribal nations are opposed to the pipelines based on potential threats to the environment.

Reuters reports:

“The Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion was signed by 50 aboriginal groups in North America, who also plan to oppose tanker and rail projects in both countries, they said in a statement.

“Targets include projects proposed by Kinder Morgan Inc, TransCanada Corp and Enbridge Inc.”

The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association told Reuters that the industry is open to hearing indigenous concerns, but that oil is necessary to move Canada forward. “The fact remains there is a critical need for pipelines in Canada,” the association told Reuters.

“What this Treaty means is that from Quebec, we will work with our First Nation allies in BC to make sure that the Kinder Morgan pipeline does not pass and we will also work with our Tribal allies in Minnesota as they take on Enbridge’s Line 3 expansion, and we know they’ll help us do the same against Energy East,” Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon said in a statement. Chief Simon was referring to TransCanada’s plan to carry 1.1 million barrels of crude per day from Alberta to Canada’s East Coast.

The new treaty was also signed by the Standing Rock Sioux who have been fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) since August. The DAPL, alternatively known as the Bakken Pipeline, is owned by Dallas, Texas-based corporation Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., which created the subsidiary Dakota Access LLC.  The pipeline will stretch 1,172 miles upon completion and transport crude oil from the Bakken fields of North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The project is set to cross the Missouri River not far from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. The Sacred Stone and Red Warrior Camp’s were formed in opposition to the DAPL.

According to the treaty alliance website,

“The alliance is part of an Indigenous Sovereignty resurgence taking place all over Turtle Island where Indigenous Peoples are reasserting themselves as the legitimate governments and caretakers of their territories.

“The allied signatory Indigenous Nations aim to prevent a pipeline/train/tanker spill from poisoning their water and to stop the Tar Sands from increasing its output and becoming an even bigger obstacle to solving the climate crisis. The world might not be able to immediately stop using oil tomorrow, but the last thing it needs is more oil, and especially not more of the dirtiest oil on the planet. It is critical that we urgently start building a more sustainable future and signatory Nations want to be at the heart of that building process.”

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the fight against these pipelines is not simply about the pipelines themselves, or even oil. No, this is about a clashing of worldviews. One that sees humanity as an extended family and aims to make decisions based on what is good for today and tomorrow. The other viewpoint, what some might call “The Western Worldview” or a “Modern Worldview,” is living only for this current moment, and not in any sort of enlightened way, but without care or concern for how today’s actions will affect tomorrow.

This is a fight that has been coming for some time now. Those who live with a view towards the 7th Generation and those who seem incapable of fathoming the destruction caused by their actions are finally beginning to face off. Archaic institutions that seek to control and dominate (The State, Corporate Power) can only survive by promoting lifestyles that are not sustainable or regenerative. They thrive off encouraging actions that divide, deplete, and disempower. The Indigenous people of this planet are beginning to unite in ways not seen in generations.

It’s time for the people of this Earth to make a decision: Do you stand for the people, for the planet, and for life? Or will you continue to support destruction and the demise of the human species by passively accepting the status quo?

This article (Native American Tribes in US and Canada Sign Historic Treaty Opposing Oil Pipelines) by Derrick Broze originally appeared on ActivistPost.com and was used with permission