by Margaret Maloney
On July 14th water protectors with The L’eau Est La Vie (Water is Life) camp, locked themselves into a van blocking the only access road to a Bayou Bridge Pipeline construction sight, successfully shutting down construction and drilling for six hours before being extracted by police. The Bayou Bridge Pipeline is the tail end of the Dakota Access Pipeline system, being pushed forward by Energy Transfer Partners.
The L’eau Est La Vie camp has carried out nearly 50 worksite actions that have caused delays in construction. Water protectors are continuously arrested during peaceful actions. The state apparatus that allows these companies to go unchecked is arresting community members who simply want to protect clean water from corporate negligence. BBP is set to end in St. James Parish (also known as cancer alley) threatening a mainly black community located along the Mississippi river, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. St. James is surrounded by fossil fuel infrastructure that releases pollution into the community, causing many residents to suffer from cancer and other health issues associated with the inhalation of toxic fumes. From Flint, Michigan to St. James, those in power continue to have no regard for black, brown, or white working class communities.
Louisiana’s wetlands are eroding at an alarming rate of a football field worth of land an hour. The wetlands are a vital protection against flooding, acting as a sponge during storm surges. With this knowledge the state government should be investing in coastal restoration, not continuing to allow companies like ETP (who have a record of breaking environmental regulation) to bring more harm to communities and the already disappearing coast. Monday July 17th, water protectors kicked off the #risetogether week of action.
In the precious Atchafalaya Basin, water protectors are occupying multiple tree-sits along the pipeline route. Stand in solidarity with those on the front lines: water protectors are asking folks to target banks that nance Energy Transfer Partners and other major pipeline companies:
Bank of America
Citi Bank
JP Morgan Chase
Wells Fargo
Bank of Tokyo
Credit Suisse
Royal Bank of Canada
Organize a solidarity demonstration, letter delivery, disruption, close your accounts at these banks, donate, or sign up to camp! Learn more at nobbp.org