Water Wonderland
Last Thursday, Dec 1, 2016, the Michigan Organizer attended a rally in Grand Rapids to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). At the time, there was a similar rally scheduled in Lansing for Monday, Dec 5, 2016. In between those two rallies, on Sunday, Dec 4, the protestors won.1 The US Army Corps of Engineers decided not to grant Energy Transfer Partners the permit to build the pipeline. You might expect that after this victory, further protests may have been cancelled. But Michigan water protectors have other plans.
The rally in Lansing was held, as scheduled. But the message changed. The organizer, Becky Bebamikawe-Roy, quoted one of the water protectors at Standing Rock, "Standing Rock is going to serve as a learning place, so that when we go back to our communities, we can work on water issues there." She mentioned several water-related issues that Michigan activists will be working on.
- Enbridge Line 5.
- Flint Water Crisis.
- Kalamazoo River 2010 oil spill cleanup.
- Nexus pipeline.
- Detroit residents water shut-offs.
- Nestle is seeking to pump additional water to sell, without paying Michigan for it.
She expressed the hope that she could help to form a water protection network to coordinate these actions throughout Michigan.
Here is a list of the actions and organizations that the Michigan Organizer is aware of, who are currently working on these issues:
- A rally will be held in Flint today, Fri, Dec 9, 2016, from 2pm-7pm, which will talk about DAPL.
- Another rally will be held in Flint tomorrow, Saturday, Dec 10, 2016, to talk about Enbridge Line 5 and the Flint water crisis. This event is being put on by the Veterans for Clean Water, the group of veterans that were recently protesting in Standing Rock.
- Fen Valley Earth First is dealing with the Kalamazoo River 2010 oil spill cleanup.
- There is a group working on stopping the Nexus pipeline.
- Food and Water Watch of Michigan is working on water affordibility in Detroit.
- The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is taking public comments on the Nestle pumping permit. The Michigan Organizer hasn't found a specific organization working on this issue yet.
Additionally, the Huron River Watershed Council will be holding an event tomorrow, Saturday, Dec 10, 2016, entitled "Community Techniques for Protecting Water Quality".
Also, there will be a direct action to stop a hazardous waste processing plant from dumping hazardous waste into Detroit's water, on Monday, Dec 12, 2016, in Detroit.
Michigan is famous for having lots of water. That means there's a lot of water to protect. Fortunately, there seem to be some dedicated individuals who are doing some of that work.