Feb 19, 2014 - Protect the Salish Sea by Matt Remle

Recently, the Swinomish, Suquamish, Lummi, Tulalip tribes, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish and Musqueam Nations released a joint statement of solidarity to stand together to protect the Salish Sea.

The energy giant, Kinder Morgan, filed an application with the National Energy Board of Canada in December of 2013 to construct a pipeline, dubbed the TransMountain pipeline, from the tar sands in Alberta to Vancouver, B.C. From Vancouver, the crude oil would be placed on tanker ships and exported to Asia.

If the pipeline is approved it would greatly expand the transport of crude oil from 300,000 to roughly 900,000 barrels per day.

The massive increase in the transporting of the tar sands oil via tanker vessels would create even greater stress on the waters of the Salish Sea, which is already impacted due to other sources of pollution.  Increased tanker shipments would also cause disruption of aquatic ecosystems, as well as, negatively impact the traditional and spiritual life-ways of Coast Salish Nations.

From the joint statement:

“As the first peoples of the Salish Sea, it is our responsibility to ensure that our ancestral fishing and harvesting grounds are not reduced to a glorified highway for industry. Each of these proposals represents a potential new threat to our treaty rights in the traditional fishing areas of the Coast Salish tribes and nations. These are rights that the United States promised to protect when they signed treaties with the tribes, recognizing our inherent right to fish “at usual and accustomed grounds and stations.” (1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, Article 5.)

Further it states:

“We issue a call to all Native Americans, First Nations relatives, and to all people who love the Salish Sea to please stand with us to protect our rights, our health, and our children’s future. It is our generation’s time to stand up and fight. What happens to the Salish Sea happens to our peoples, and to all those who call this unique place home.”

Tribes, communities, and counties are encouraged to pass resolutions to ban pipelines from crossing their lands, sacred sites, aquifers, and waterways see https://lastrealindians.com/for-immediate-release-protecing-the-rez-protecting-mother-earth-campaign-by-matt-remle/ for details on how to pass a resolution in your Tribe, community, and county.

Mitakuye oyasin Wakinyan Waanatan (Matt Remle)