The same company that wanted to build the KXL pipeline, TC Energy (formerly TransCanada), is starting to build a 417-mile, multibillion dollar fossil fuel pipeline through Indigenous lands in northern British Columbia, Canada. It’s set to cut through Wet’suwet’en lands and transport gas to the Pacific coast without the consent of the Nation’s hereditary chiefs. To protect their sovereignty and defend their ancestral lands, Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders and supporters built several camps along the pipeline’s route through their territory. The pipeline will negatively impact the land, water, the community, and climate.
But it’s not just TC Energy. Coastal GasLink pipeline funders, like JPMorgan Chase and KKR must be held accountable for their role in defying Indigenous law, threatening Indigenous lands, and being some of the biggest funders of the climate crisis. JPMorgan Chase, the world’s biggest banker of fossil fuels, is helping funnel more than $5 billion in loans to the company behind Coastal GasLink. And, KKR, a New York City based investment firm, has plans to purchase 65% of the pipeline with Alberta Investment Management Corp (AIMCo).
In February, militarized police raided the Wet’suwet’en camps with assault rifles, dogs, sound cannons, and helicopters, criminalizing peaceful Indigenous land defenders and defying Wet’suwet’en law. Police continue to patrol Wet’suwet’en lands, and while the Canadian government and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have discussed a land title deal, the agreement does not cover the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The Nation continues to call for solidarity action.
The hereditary chiefs, who under Wet’suwet’en law have authority over their traditional land, have never given their consent for the pipeline project to move forward. The Wet’suwet’en Nation’s land is unceded, meaning it was never legally signed, ceded or given away to colonial powers.
Greenpeace USA is in solidarity with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and Land Defenders who are protecting the land from the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
This is as much of a fight for Indigenous rights as it is for the future of the planet.
Indigenous Peoples around the world have been fighting for their homelands and against extractive industries for centuries.
Greenpeace is a part of an international environmental campaigning organization supported by millions of people around the world who want to build a green and peaceful future. We recognize that the current state of environmental injustice has been caused by the heedless exploitation of traditional territories where Indigenous Peoples’ rights and authority have been marginalized or eroded.
We cannot have climate justice without respecting, upholding, and fighting for Indigenous rights.
Here’s what you can do:
Learn more about how you can directly support the Wet’suwet’en First Nation here.
