Show up now to Defund Line 3

As most of you know, the Line 3 tar sands pipeline in Minnesota is a disaster for our climate and a gross violation Indigenous and treaty rights.

For weeks, courageous activists on the front line have taken daily direct action to stop the construction of Line 3, including locking themselves inside sections of pipe, blockading entrances to construction sites, and using pianos to stop construction.

More than 130 people have been arrested and are facing charges – and they need backup. We’re asking you to show up – safely, in accordance with pandemic rules – in person to help stop this pipeline and the big banks funding it. Here are two ways you can help:

1. If you’re able to travel to Minnesota ― especially if you’ve already been vaccinated and/or have skills and experience as a water protector or climate activist ― find your courage, warrior up, and come to Northern Minnesota and join the actions on the ground. This link will let you sign up for an orientation call to get grounded in the demands, health protocols, and our respect for indigenous leadership required to participate.
2. Wherever you are, whoever you are, you can plan or join a #DefundLine3 Action in your community at a bank branch near you.

Big banks ― including as JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, CitiBank and TD Bank ― have loaned billions of dollars to Enbridge so that it can build Line 3. Over the last few weeks oure friends at the Stop the Money Pipeline coalition have sent the CEOs of those banks more than 600,000 emails, calls, and calendar invites demanding that they stop funding Line 3.

We were telling them to cancel a $2.2 billion loan to Enbridge that was due for renewal on March 31st. Last week, we learned that the March 31st loan has been canceled, BUT, in its place, the same banks have given Enbridge an $800 million “sustainability” loan and pledged to continue funding Line 3.

This is greenwashing at its worst. One of the leaders of the #DefundLine3 fight, Tara Houska, says:

“giving Enbridge a sustainability loan is like giving a weapons manufacturer a “peace” loan; it’s like giving a cigarette company a “health” loan. Even if Enbridge does plan on building a few solar panels with that money, you can’t put a fire out and pour millions of barrels of tar sands on it at the same time.”

https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/enbridges-greenwashing-will-not-stand/

Whatever they call it – a loan, a sustainability loan, or a line of credit – these banks are enabling and profiting from the Line 3 pipeline. They are complicit in the pollution, violence and climate chaos. It is up to us to hold them accountable. And we are running out of time – Enbridge says they plan to complete Line 3 by June, which could be possible now that the Mississippi river is thawing, clearing the way for crews to begin drilling operations to cross.

Frontline leaders are calling on us all to show up and #DefundLine3 in Minnesota and at branches of the banks funding this toxic pipeline.

Click here to see the #DefundLine3 Action map and find or plan an action in your community. If you need help, tools and ideas on how to get started check out this action toolkit. Frontline water protectors in Minnesota need legal support too. If you can’t make it to an event, please consider donating what you can to support their legal defense fund.