Bad River Tribal Council Removed Line 5 Pipeline from Reservation- Now They Fight to Remove Pipeline from Watershed

In 2017, the governing body of the Bad River Reservation in Northern Wisconsin approved a decision to remove Lakehead Pipeline Company, now Enbridge’s Line 5, from their lands and their watershed. This comes after 5 years of the pipeline company operating the pipeline without a formal lease or rights to do so. This decision was upheld by the same governing body in 2019. Mike Wiggins Jr, Bad River CEO and Tribal chair said of the removal: “No amount of compensation is worth risking Wenji-Bimaadiziyaang- an Ojibwe word that literally means ‘From where we get life.’ It’s time to end the imminent threat the company is presenting to our people, our rivers, and gichi gami (Lake Superior). It’s not only an infringement of our sovereignty, but a burden felt by our people having to engage in the perpetual chase for the next pipeline rupture. It’s time to stop the flow of oil immediately.”

Bad River Reservation went into litigation with Enbridge over their initial refusal to leave Bad River Land. Bad River Tribal Council Member Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings explains of the decision to litigate, “The tribe has commenced litigation because we must stop the operation of line 5 in order to protect current and future generations from a potential catastrophe. We will not allow a foreign energy company to endanger our lifeway. As Anishinaabe, it’s really quite simple to us, ‘Giishpin ganawendamang iw nibi, giga-ganawenimigomin- If we take care of the water, it will continue to take care of us.”

While Enbridge did eventually agree to remove themselves from the reservation outside of court, Enbridge now seeks to reroute the pipeline through Ojibwe watershed. As of June 2022, Enbridge does not have permits to begin construction of the Line 5 replacement.

Earlier this year on February 2, 2022, a virtual hearing on the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 reroute. The hearing lasted a full 10 hours, from 4:00 pm until 2:00 the next morning, with 147 people speaking in opposition (88%) and just 20 in favor (12%).

Mike Wiggins Jr, Bad River CEO & Tribal Chair, was one of the speakers at this hearing. Hear his testimony below:

Learn more about the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians online at http://www.badrivernsn.gov/.

cover photo credit: Communities United by Water