Two Greenpeace Canada activists have occupied one of the most important pieces of equipment Kinder Morgan needs to build its new tar sands pipeline, and they are calling on people across the world to stop it from fulfilling its destructive purpose: drilling a path through unceded Indigenous lands on Burnaby Mountain.<\/p>\n
Just before dawn, the two women climbed atop Kinder Morgan\u2019s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) \u2014 which they\u2019ve dubbed a \u201cmonster drill.\u201d They have dropped a banner reading \u201cProtect Water, Stop Pipelines\u201d and are signalling the arrival of the monster drill with a giant flag reading \u201cHere\u2019s the Drill: Stop KM.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenpeace Canada tracked the monster drill all the way from Germany on a cross-continental journey to a holding facility in the Vancouver suburb of Delta, where the ongoing action is taking place. [1] Without this piece of equipment, there can be no pipeline expansion, making it a sure flashpoint for the growing resistance against oil pipelines.[2]<\/p>\n
s\u03c7\u026cemet\u0259na:t \/ Audrey Siegl from the Musqueam Nation community, who plans to support the action from the gate, said:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI don\u2019t just say no to this pipeline. I say no to any more destruction. I say no to any more violations of the land, the water and the people. I say no because my ancestors cared for and protected this land since the first sunrise. Kinder Morgan will not destroy what we love.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary Lovell, a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who calls the Pacific Northwest home, said:\u00a0<\/strong>“We\u2019re here in solidarity with Indigenous Water Protectors and Land Defenders who do not consent to the Kinder Morgan tar sands pipeline in their territory. We\u2019re here because this pipeline poses too great a threat to the land, air, and water. We can\u2019t let it go through \u2014 so we\u2019re exposing the destructive drill Kinder Morgan would prefer to keep hidden away.\u201d<\/p>\n Laura Yates, a long-time Vancouver resident and activist is the second climber. She said:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cEnough is enough. Right now, we need leaders who are brave visionaries, who are willing to take the leap, leave dirty oil projects behind and choose a path to a better future. What we don\u2019t need are leaders, like Justin Trudeau, who continue to be swayed by corporate interests rather than honouring Indigenous rights, protecting drinking water from oil spills and ensuring healthy ecosystems and a liveable climate for people all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary and Laura have indicated that they intend to stay in place for as long as possible and hope that by exposing this monster drill, the people-powered movement to stop pipelines will be there to resist this project every step of the way.<\/p>\n Greenpeace Canada is calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to abandon\u00a0his consideration of a pipeline bailout<\/a>\u00a0following an\u00a0ultimatum<\/a>\u00a0from Kinder Morgan, which \u2014 in the latest example of its\u00a0bullying tactics<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 has threatened to cancel the project if the federal government doesn\u2019t quash B.C.\u2019s opposition to the project by May 31st. With less than a month to go before this deadline, it\u2019s time for Trudeau to get on the right side of history.<\/p>\n From the fight again Kinder Morgan to those against Energy Transfer Partners, [3] TransCanada and Enbridge, Greenpeace stands with a united movement to stop oil companies\u2019 new pipelines from polluting water, fuelling climate change and violating Indigenous rights.<\/p>\n -30-<\/strong><\/p>\n Notes to editors:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Location:\u00a0<\/strong>The Apex storage facility where the TBM is being stored and where the Greenpeace activity is taking place is the lot just lot north of 7954 Webster Rd, Delta, B.C.<\/p>\n Photos:\u00a0<\/strong>Photos are available for download here and will be updated throughout the day:\u00a0https:\/\/media.greenpeace.org\/shoot\/27MZIFJXFRUVS<\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n [1] Tunnel boring, if the pipeline project continues, would begin from Kinder Morgan\u2019s Westridge Marine Terminal.<\/p>\n [2] More than 200 people have already been\u00a0arrested<\/a>resisting Kinder Morgan\u2019s pipeline in solidarity with Coast Salish communities and a poll released on Friday shows that\u00a0more than half a million people in B.C.<\/a>may also be willing to undertake civil disobedience.<\/p>\n [3] On August 22, 2017, Energy Transfer Partners filed a baseless $900 million SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) that seeks to do three things: rewrite history by falsely claiming the movement to stop the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock was led by Greenpeace, rather than Indigenous Peoples; silence free speech and infringe on rights to peacefully assemble and freely associate; and intimidate and drain the resources of the people and organisations who disagree with the company. Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for more information about the case.<\/p>\n