The Bad River Band's ancestral homeland in Wisconsin is in peril due to an aging oil pipeline owned by Enbridge. In this episode of the "All About Change" podcast, Joe Bates details the tribe's deep ties to the land and their desperate fight to protect it.
He outlines the pipeline's trespassing construction and rapidly deteriorating condition that jeopardizes the reservation's ecosystem and Lake Superior's waters. As the legal battle unfolds, the band leverages activism, documentary films, and sovereignty claims in their wider struggle to safeguard their treaty rights and environment for future generations.
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The Bad River Band has lived near Lake Superior for millennia, Joe Bates explains. Their migration story and the "Sandy Lake March" deaths reflect their deep connection to this promised homeland secured in the 1854 Treaty. However, their territorial rights and practices now face threats from the Enbridge oil pipeline.
Installed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1950s without tribal consent, Bates calls Line 5 a "ticking time bomb" due to its deteriorating state. Videos reveal shoddy construction, and sections are suspended, risking rupture. Bates warns a spill could devastate the Bad River, Lake Superior, and reliant communities and ecosystems.
The tribe rejects Enbridge's easement renewal requests and $80 million offer to remove and remediate the threat. They utilize activism like blockades and occupations, a documentary, and legal challenges to amplify their cause and fight for their sovereignty and rights.
Despite opposition, Enbridge operates the trespassing pipeline until 2026, per the court. The Bad River Band remains determined to protect their land and water for future generations in this wider struggle over Native sovereignty and environmental stewardship.
1-Page Summary
Joe Bates gives a detailed account of the historical connection between the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of the Chippewa Indians and their ancestral lands, along with the challenges and threats they face regarding their territorial rights.
Bates explains that the Bad River people have lived close to Lake Superior for millennia. He narrates their migration story, where they followed their creed's instructions and traveled the St. Lawrence Seaway to reach their promised homeland, where "the food grows on water" – a revered reference to the Cacoban Sloughs. This journey embodies the historical and spiritual claim the tribe has to its surrounding land.
Moreover, Bates touches upon a dark period of the tribe's history, describing the Sandy Lake March. The Bad River Band members were violently ousted from their land and sent on a treacherous journey to Sandy Lake, Minnesota, in pursuit of provisions that were falsely promised. Tragically, many perished from starvation and exposure to the elements, casualties both at Sandy Lake and on the return march to their reservation.
Bates then highlights the crucial role ...
Bad River Band's History, Connection, and Land Rights
The controversial installation and deteriorating conditions of the Enbridge oil pipeline on the Bad River Reservation prompt serious concerns regarding safety, environmental impact, and tribal sovereignty.
An unidentified speaker discusses the origins of the Enbridge oil pipeline conflict, revealing that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) authorized the installation of Line 5 pipeline without the consent of the Bad River Band. It was installed in the early 1950s, and the tribe had no voice in the original decision. The pipeline spans 12 miles across the reservation, with portions cutting through both tribal land and allotments owned by different Bad River members.
Joe Bates labels the Line 5 pipeline a "ticking time bomb" due to its decayed state. Videos from the era of construction show hasty and inadequate methods, such as wrapping steel pipes in cloth and coating them in tar. Currently, there is uncertainty about the state of the entire 645-mile pipeline with over 100 anomalies confirmed by Enbridge Corporation within just the 12-mile span crossing the reservation. Additionally, a 40-foot section of the pipeline is suspended and unsupported due to erosion, presenting an immediate risk of rupture.
Bates voices concern that an oil spill could severely impact the Bad River and Lake Superior, endangering numerous ecosystems and ...
Threats Posed by the Enbridge Oil Pipeline
The Bad River Band has been actively resisting Enbridge's pipeline, rejecting easement renewal requests, demanding pipeline removal, and refusing financial compensation in a fight to protect their land and resources.
In January 2017, the Bad River Band decided not to renew Enbridge's leases. The tribe has demanded the shutdown, removal, and remediation of the pipeline corridor as outlined in the lease agreement, which states Enbridge is responsible for removing and remediating the pipeline corridor at the end of the business contract. Joe Bates, suggesting the tribe's stance against the pipeline, discusses offers from Enbridge for an easement in perpetuity on a tract of land the pipeline crosses, which the tribe has resisted.
Although specific details regarding the Bad River Band's use of blockades and occupations weren't provided, it is evident that the tribe utilizes direct action to further their resistance. An illustrative example of such action dates back to 1995, when the tribe resisted a freight train crossing their reservation, resulting in a days-long standoff. More recently, activists occupied the Department of Natural Resources office in Madison, Wisconsin, protesting permits granted to Enbridge. This history of activism implies a pattern of physical resistance that likely includes blockades and occupation efforts.
While the information provided did not detail any legal challenges explicitly, the mention of other actions and the existence of a documentary titled "Bad River" ...
Bad River Band's Pipeline Resistance and Activism
The conflict between the Bad River Band and Enbridge over a controversial pipeline has escalated into a legal confrontation as the tribe fights to preserve their land, water, and sovereignty.
Despite the opposition from the Bad River Band, Enbridge continues to operate its pipeline, transporting 540,000 barrels of oil per day. Joe Bates refers to this operation as trespassing by Enbridge on tribal land.
A federal court has recognized that Enbridge is indeed trespassing on the reservation. However, although the act of trespass was acknowledged by the court, it did not lead to an immediate shutdown of the pipeline. Consequently, the operation and associated threat will persist until at least July 2026.
Since 2013, directives have been issued to Enbridge to cease their pipeline operations under the Bad River Reservation, yet the company has disregarded these orders and kept their pipelines functioning. As of 2024, the legal battle wages on with no cessation of the pipeline's operation. The Bad River Band remains resolute in their purs ...
Bad River Band vs. Enbridge Pipeline Legal Battle
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