Cherokee Nation Halts Disposal of Radioactive Waste Near Arkansas and Illinois Rivers

by Native News Online

Published February 10, 2017; GORE, OKLAHOMA – The Cherokee Nation and state of Oklahoma jointly filed and were granted a restraining order today against Sequoyah Fuels Corporation near Gore to stop the company from disposing radioactive waste near the Arkansas and Illinois Rivers. The request was granted by Sequoyah County District Judge Jeff Payton.

“The Cherokee Nation is a staunch defender and protector of our natural resources,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “We will not stand idly by and allow the Arkansas River, one of our most precious resources, and the Cherokee community of Gore to be polluted. The Cherokee Nation will fight for the rights of our people to live safely in their communities, and for the rights of our future generations to inherit an environment free of hazardous pollution.”

Sequoyah Fuels Corporation was opened by Kerr-McGee in 1970 to convert yellowcake uranium into uranium hexafluoride, a compound that produces fuel for nuclear reactors. The company switched hands several times over the years before closing in 1993 after several releases of hazardous chemicals. In January 1986, one worker was killed and dozens more were injured after a cylinder of uranium hexafluoride ruptured. It has since been in the decommissioning process, under the authority of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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Join Buffalo Field Campaign for a Week of Action: Feb. 14 – 20, 2017

from Buffalo Field Campaign

Mark your calendars and please join us for our upcoming Week of Action, February 14 – 20, 2017.  We are planning events in southwest Montana towns, and there will be a national event for everyone, everywhere to take part in. We welcome your ideas and we need your energy and participation!

Here is the tentative schedule of events and locations. More details will be announced in the coming weeks:

• Tuesday, February 14:  Rally in Bozeman, Montana
  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  Meet at the Bozeman Public Library
  626 E. Main Street
  Bozeman, MT 59725
  (Map)
  Look for the buffaloon!Presentation by BFC’s Mike Mease at Montana State University
  5:00pm at the Strand Union Building, Ballroom B
  (Map)
• Wednesday, February 15: March and Candlelight Vigil in Gardiner, Montana
  March through town to Beattie Gulch 2:00 p.m.
  Candlelight vigil at 6:00 p.m.
  Meet at:
  Gallatin National Forest Gardiner Ranger District
  805 Scott Street
  Gardiner, MT 59030
  (Map)

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Global Day of Pro-Peltier/Anti-Pipeline Action to Commemorate Wounded Knee ’73

from Sabal Trail Resistance

Join us in honoring the February 27 anniversary of the 1973 Wounded Knee Stand-Off on the Pine Ridge Reservation, wherever you are in the world, by declaring your support for Leonard Peltier and opposition to the oil and gas industry.

Just days after the previous administration denied clemency to Peltier, the next one followed up with a commitment to push through as many oil and gas pipelines as it could… This is a clear example of how the U.S. is continuing a legacy of corruption and greed that can can only be backed by extreme repression and the largest prison system in the world.

The goals of this mobilization are to show Leonard (and the world) that he is not forgotten, and illustrate that we are not backing down in our fight with the energy empire.

On February 26, A rally will be starting at the Coleman federal prison where American Indian Movement (AIM) prisoner Leonard Peltier is locked up for his involvement in fighting to defend people and land in Lakota territory. His incarceration stemmed from efforts to challenge corruption, violence and resource extraction on the Pine Ridge Reservation, of which the 71 day Wounded Knee stand-off with the U.S. government in ’73 was one example. Peltier was framed in 1975 during a shoot-out with FBI agents on the Reservation.

In 2011, Peltier was moved to Florida’s Coleman federal prison. The prison is several miles from active construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline which is being pushed in large part by Energy Transfer Partners of DAPL infamy.

Details on the FL event can be found here. (Please share)

Who is Sabal Trail Resistance

Sabal Trail Resistance (STR) is an ad hoc planning committee that has brought together over 40 local and national organizations to engage hundreds of people in direct action against pipeline construction.

STR is planning this event locally, but also supports the concept being amplified nationally or event internationally, where activities ranging from prayer ceremony to disruptive occupations can occur in solidarity with Leonard and resistors of the energy empire worldwide.
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New Poetry Zine by Marius Mason!

from Support Marius Mason

Transformation zine – Poems by Marius
Order this beautiful 16 page poetry zine by Marius $4

ORDER HERE

Marius Mason is serving 21 years and 10 months (until 09-18-2027) for his involvement in an ELF arson at a University building carrying out genetically modified crop tests. Marius also pleaded guilty to conspiring to carry out ELF actions and admitted involvement in 12 other ELF actions. Money made from sales of this zine will go to support Marius.

Write to Marius! (Address envelope to Marie “Marius” Mason)
#04672-061, FMC Carswell, P.O. Box 27137, Fort Worth, TX 76127, USA

 

Chicago, IL: #NoDAPL Shuts Down Citibank To Demand Divestment

anonymous contributor / It’s Going Down

The Army Corp announced they are granting the easement for DAPL crossing under Lake Oahe. Water protectors respond by intensifying their resistance.

#NoDAPLchi water protectors lock down inside Citibank in Chicago to demand they divest from the Dakota Acess Pipeline | #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/ThXdsJDYmy

— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) February 8, 2017

A group of water protectors are occupying a Citibank branch at Washington and Dearborn Ave in Chicago to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and the push by the Trump administration to grant the final permit without regard to tribal and public consultation. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 & 1868 guarantees Native sovereignty on the very lands that DAPL is being built through right now. The Army Corps is in direct violation of these treaties when it grants Energy Transfer Partners permission to build the Dakota Access Pipeline, destroying sacred sites and the foundation of Native lifeways. If the pipeline will cross under Lake Oahe, the contamination of these waters is inevitable. This will have devastating effects on the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservations, as well as 10-15 million people who live downstream.

Citibank has been SHUTDOWN!

Citibank locked their doors & called the police, #NoDAPLchi water protectors remainded lockdown | #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/XAONp2VnDi

— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) February 8, 2017

As a major funder of DAPL, Citibank is directly sponsoring the ongoing genocide of Native peoples and endangering the waters, lands and living communities of the entire Missouri River watershed. Banks that fund fossil fuels are directly responsible for climate change – the social and environmental violence they perpetuate represents a clear example of ecocide.

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Brazil: Indigenous Folks Occupy State Foundation for Agricultural Research

from Cumplicidade

translated by Earth First! Journal

Saturday, January 28, 2017: During the day, native Guarani Mbyá families arrived to the State Foundation for Agricultural Research (FEPAGRO) in Maquiné-RS. Reclaiming this area as part of their ancestral territory, since yesterday this group has been camping in the building, which recently became extinct [was extinguished] by the current State government.

José Cirilo, one of the present Mbyá leaders, explained the need to retake the territories where their ancestors lived for future Mbyá children, remembering that “the Guarani are not the ones who live in unbalance with nature… We live with nature. Our ancestors lived here for many years and then later were massacred. Now our future is our children. Our children will be reared and we will be thinking of the future.”

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Philippines: 21 Mining Firms Shut Down

by James Konstantin / The PhilStar

February 3, 2017: TWENTY-ONE mining firms, including four controversial miners operating in Zambales province, were ordered closed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for continued violations of environmental laws.

Environment Secretary Regina Paz “Gina” Lopez on Thursday said the firms were found to have been operating within functional watersheds, severely affecting host communities. She threatened to close seven other firms.

“We have decided to close any kind of mining operation in functional watersheds. The DENR has rightfully decided to take on social justice. I am not against mining but I am against suffering,” Lopez said in a news conference in Quezon City.

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Worldwide Call to Action Feb. 8: #NODAPL Last Stand

from Sacred Stone Camp

[Yesterday, Feb. 7, 2017]  the US Army Corps gave notice of intent to grant the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross the Mni Sose (Missouri River).  They are skipping the EIS ordered in December, and skipping the congressional notification period required by law.  This is a response to President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum directing the Corps to expedite approval of the project.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe will likely sue and ask for a temporary restraining order to halt construction while the legality of this decision is reviewed in court.  In the meantime, DAPL will likely start drilling immediately.  The media recently reported that DAPL says their “best case scenario” timeline is 83 days from easement to oil flow.

WORLDWIDE CALL TO ACTION FEB. 8
The Indigenous Coalition at Standing Rock is calling for February 8th to be an international day of emergency actions to disrupt business as usual and unleash a global intersectional resistance to fossil fuels and fascism.  Connect with other struggles.  Think long-term movement building.  We are in this for the long haul.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has consistently asked for people to go home, and we understand this.  Regardless, water protectors remain on the ground at the Sacred Stone Camp, determined to stop the black snake, and we support them.  If you go, expect police violence, mass arrests, felony charges for just about anything, abuse while in custody, targeted persecution and racial profiling while driving around the area, etc.

We are calling for emergency actions all over the world. PLEASE, THIS IS OUR LAST STAND. Please visit everydayofaction.org to find or register an action wherever you are. Check out our world action map to join the mass distributed actions [TODAY], February 8th.

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North Dakota House Approves DAPL Protest Bills

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Dakota Access Pipeline: Final Phase to Be Approved

from The Guardian

The US government is set to allow the final phase of construction of the Dakota Access pipeline to begin as early as Wednesday, dealing a major blow to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

The decision sets the stage for a tense showdown at the site of the drilling, where indigenous and environmental activists have been camped for nearly a year.

The army corps of engineers provided notice of its intention to grant a permit for the oil pipeline to cross the Missouri river in North Dakota in a letter to congressman Raúl Grijalva, the ranking member on the House committee on natural resources. The decision follows Donald Trump’s executive order in his first week in office to expedite the project.

The letter, revealed in court filings, states that the easement will be issued “no earlier than 24 hours” after the delivery of the letter, which is dated 7 February. The letter also states that the army corps intends to waive the usual 14-day waiting period after congressional notification, meaning drilling could begin as early as Wednesday. (more…)