WHAT’S HAPPENING?

ON FEBRUARY 24TH, 2019, HONOR THE EARTH WILL HOST ‘SKI THE LINE: A CROSS-COUNTRY SKI EVENT’ TO STOP THE ENBRIDGE LINE 3 TAR SANDS PIPELINE. SKIERS AND SNOW-LOVERS ALIKE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIRTY PROJECT AS WE REACH A CLIMATE CRISIS POINT. SKI THE LINE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GROWING CITIZENS’ MOVEMENT OPPOSING THE LINE 3 PIPELINE.

WATER PROTECTORS ARE CONVENING IN MINNESOTA TO ESTABLISH RESISTANCE CAMPS ALONG THE PROPOSED PIPELINE. ‘SKI THE LINE’ IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO JOIN IN WITH OTHER PARTICIPANTS SKIING AGAINST THE PROPOSED CURRENT OF OIL AND TO LEARN ABOUT, AND PARTICIPATE IN, THE RESISTANCE THAT CONTINUES TO BUILD IN MINNESOTA AS NEW UPDATES ABOUT THE PROPOSAL UNFOLD.

FOLLOWING THE SKI EVENT, AT 5 PM, THERE WILL BE A CELEBRATION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT THE RAIL RIVER FOLK SCHOOL (303 RAILROAD ST., BEMIDJI) FEATURING BILL MCKIBBEN, CO-FOUNDER OF 350.ORG, AND WINONA LADUKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HONOR THE EARTH.

EVENT SCHEDULE

12:00 PM SKI-KICKOFF AT THE NORTH COUNTY TRAIL ACCESS IN ITASCA STATE PARK

3:00 PM HOT COCOA GATHERING AT THE LAKE LASALLE RECREATION AREA

5:00 PM POST-SKI CELEBRATION AT RAIL RIVER FOLKS SCHOOL IN BEMIDJI

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• A $5 REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. TICKETING COMING SOON. PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU’LL BE THERE!
• THE KICKOFF WILL BEGIN AT THE NORTH COUNTY TRAIL ACCESS IN ITASCA STATE PARK ON 71 NORTH OF PARK RAPIDS.
• EQUIPMENT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL. PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS, SKI POLES, AND WARM CLOTHING.
• THE TRAIL WILL FOLLOW THE LINE 3 ROUTE FOR PART OF THE WAY AND WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A SNOWMOBILE TRAIL THAT WILL LEAD THE SKIERS TO THE FINAL DESTINATION AT THE LAKE LASALLE RECREATION AREA NEAR ALIDA FOR A HOT COCOA GATHERING AROUND 3 PM.
• PLEASE DIRECT ALL ADDITIONAL INQUIRIES TO OUR MEDIA CONTACT, ALYSSA, 612.385.1557, ALYSSA@HONOREARTH.ORG.

UPDATES ON THE LINE 3 BATTLE:

THE FIVE-YEAR FIGHT HAS COME TO A HEAD WITH THE PUC ISSUING A CERTIFICATE OF NEED AND ROUTE PERMIT FOR THE PIPELINE. NINETY-FOUR PERCENT OF PUBLIC COMMENTS, OR 68,000 TESTIMONIES, OPPOSED THE PROJECT, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC) FOUND NO NEED, AND BOTH THE DOC AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE RECOMMENDED AGAINST THE LINE. MEANWHILE, ENBRIDGE SPENT $5 MILLION LOBBYING THE MINNESOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (PUC). NEVER BEFORE HAS THE PUC DIVERGED FROM THESE STATE AGENCIES’ RECOMMENDATIONS.

FOLLOWING THE DECISION, THE DOC FILED A LEGAL APPEAL CHALLENGING THE PUC’S APPROVAL OF THE LINE. HOWEVER, ON GOVERNOR WALZ’S FOURTH DAY IN OFFICE, HE MADE HEADLINES WHEN HIS NEW COMMISSIONER OF COMMERCE, STEVE KELLEY, ANNOUNCED THE DOC WOULD REEVALUATE THE APPEAL, REVERSING THE IMPORTANT STEP OUTGOING GOVERNOR DAYTON TOOK TO PROTECT MINNESOTA.

MINNESOTA’S REGULATORY TERRAIN IS COMPLEX. THERE ARE STILL 29 PERMITS TO GO, BUT, ULTIMATELY, THE PUC WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ON THE REQUESTED PERMITS. HONOR THE EARTH AND OTHERS ARE PREPARING LEGAL COUNSEL FOR AN EXTENDED ROLE IN PROTECTING OUR HOMELANDS VIA THE COURT SYSTEM.

OPPONENTS OF THE LINE 3 PIPELINE HAVE FOUGHT HARD AND BUILT AN ENORMOUS RECORD AGAINST THE PROJECT, LAYING OUT THE CLIMATE SCIENCE, TREATY RIGHTS, AND ECONOMICS THAT PROVE THIS PIPELINE IS A DANGER TO MINNESOTA. RESISTANCE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW UNTIL ASSURANCE IS GIVEN THAT ENBRIDGE WILL NOT EXPAND ITS DIRTY TAR SANDS INFRASTRUCTURE IN ANISHINAABE TERRITORY.

Join us for ‘Ski the Line’ and get involved in the growing movement to stop Line 3.

Get tickets here