Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, September 5, over 50 people converged on Minneapolis’s urban lakes to pressure Minnesota’s presumptive governor Amy Klobuchar to take a stand against sulfide mining. While the majority of those assembled took to canoes and kayaks, another contingent marched alongside the flotilla on the lakeshore.

Chants of “Hey hey! Ho ho! Sulfide mining has got to go!” and “Water is life!” could be heard across the water as the protesters navigated the chain of lakes in vessels bearing flags with slogans such as “Defend MN waters” and “No sulfide mining.”

Several weeks before, Minnesota's current governor, Tim Walz issued executive order 26-10, prohibiting non-ferrous mining in the Rainy River watershed, which feeds into the Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Area, and, ultimately, into Hudson Bay. This measure was welcomed by many, after the April repeal of a federal mining ban in the area. Those assembled Saturday, however, felt the executive order did not do enough to protect the wetlands, which are dear to the hearts of many Minnesotans.

The protesters expressed concern that Walz’s order would not be followed up by action from the incoming legislature, nor from Amy Klobuchar, who is widely expected to win her gubernatorial bid this fall. Furthermore, the executive order leaves open the possibility of sulfide mining in Minnesota's other 79 watersheds, such as the Lake Superior and Mississippi River basins. Of additional concern was Klobuchar’s position on sulfide mining, which remains unclear as she has yet to take a stance on the environmentally destructive practice.

Despite Klobuchar's recent insistence that further studies need to be done to confirm whether sulfide mining can be done safely, to date not one sulfide mining operation has taken place without polluting the land with toxic runoff. With sulfide mining, the remains left by the extraction process turn into toxic liquids such as sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water, even in relatively arid landscapes. When left exposed in a wetland, the damage is likely to be thorough and immediate, threatening natural habitats and drinking water for human populations.

Speaking for the Climate Justice Committee, Ben Sullivan-McKone stated, “In a city named after water, in a state named after water, we take having fresh water for granted. The watersheds in Minnesota are upstream of everywhere from the Mississippi River to Hudson Bay. If Minnesota's watersheds are polluted, it will have effects across the country.”

Sullivan-McKone continued, “If we don't fight to protect our fresh water, we very well may have to face a future where that is not a possibility anymore.”

Minneapolis’ urban lake system is a popular recreation destination for canoe enthusiasts who value the of Boundary Waters. Conversations were had between protesters and the general public, many of whom had previously assumed Walz’s executive order had offered the embattled wetlands a greater measure of protection.

The highly visible protest was organized by the Climate Justice Committee and joined by other local groups such as Save the Boundary Waters, Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Minnesota 50501. Despite the gravity of the situation, the mood on the water was jubilant, and many of the attendees expressed a desire to see similar actions in the future, as “our waters are constantly under attack,” as one attendee put it.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #BoundaryWaters #ClimateJusticeCommittee #SulfideMining

Minneapolis, MN – On April 18, hundreds took to the streets of Minneapolis, to celebrate Earth Day and demand an end to capitalism’s relentless attacks on the planet. Organized by the Climate Justice Committee along with numerous coalition partners, the rally and march was held under the banner “Earth is for everyone – No one is illegal.”

The march began at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis and travelled to The Commons park, where speeches and tabling were held. Minneapolis-based band Van Cleaver provided music for the afternoon.

Speakers covered a range of topics, from the Trump administration’s attacks on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to how climate change is a driver of immigration and displacement.

Tracy Molm of the CJC said, “ At a time when communities are facing environmental destruction, displacement, and escalating political attacks, this Earth Day action makes one thing clear: the fight for the planet is inseparable from the fight for human rights.”

Aizar Cabrera from MIRAC drew a connection between climate change and the immigration, saying, “When humans harm our planet, through pollution, deforestation, mining, and countless other atrocities caused by their manic greed they permanently disrupt ecosystems and destroy livelihoods, forcing people to leave their homes to survive. And when these climate refugees come here, seeking the safety and prosperity they have lost to climate change and natural disasters, they are vilified and told to go back to where they came from.”

The attacks on the Boundary Waters proved to be an energizing issue for the attendees. Chris Knopf, the executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters, gave a fiery speech excoriating Representative Pete Stauber’s use of the Congressional Review Act to overturn a moratorium on mining in the Boundary Waters watershed.

Knopf stated, “We in Minnesota have proven that hardship is not what defines us. What defines us is how we respond. Our strength, our resilience, our resistance have inspired the nation and the world.”

Knopf continued, “Trump, Stauber, and those in power in Washington DC are no match for the people of Minnesota. They are no match for you. We in Minnesota know how to stand up to Trump. We’ve done this for months now. We will stand up for the Boundary Waters; we will stand up for our clean water.”

A member of the CJC stated, “Our planet has a disease. And that disease is capitalism. A virus that corrupts…that works for the 1% instead of us. Our forests and wetlands, burned for beef production, stripped and polluted for minerals and drained for data centers. Our rivers and aquifers drained for oil pipelines and animal agriculture, rising oceans used as a dumping ground, and overfished until all that is left is waste and water. If you kill the planet you kill the people! The vision of the ruling class is a frightful new world where we own nothing, have no rights and have to remove the parts of us that make us human: empathy, community, critical thinking, love, in order to survive under the constant, deadly watch of corporate overlords.”

The event concluded with pizza for all, more music from Van Cleaver, and an invite to future events, including MIRAC’s May Day march on May 1.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #EarthDay #ClimateJusticeCommittee #BoundaryWaters #BWCA