A group of over 200 celebrities and Democrat donors signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to halt expansion of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota, NBC News reported.
The letter was signed by celebrities involved with the Biden presidential campaign including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Jane Fonda, according to NBC News. Several prominent political figures, such as businessman and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, also signed the document.
“We write now with an urgent plea to stop construction of Line 3 immediately,” the letter read. “This pipeline is virtually identical to KXL [the Keystone XL pipeline] in both substantive climate impact and symbolic importance. Construction of the project is an unfolding human rights crisis.”
I am sickened and deeply disappointed that President Biden has given the go-ahead to Enbridge Line 3 in Minnesota. This belies his promises on the campaign trail to follow science and stop new fossil fuel development and cut our carbon emissions in half by 2030. pic.twitter.com/u3gZUqlEtW
— Jane Seymour Fonda (@Janefonda) June 27, 2021
The Enbridge Line 3 pipeline currently extends from Edmonton, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin, transporting a type of petroleum deposit known as tar sands. Enbridge is currently seeking to replace and expand the pipeline through the tribal wetlands of the Anishinaabe people in northern Minnesota, thereby violating the tribe’s treaty rights, according to activist organization Stop Line 3.
“Line 3 violates the rights and lifeways of the Anishinaabe people by endangering the headwaters of the Mississippi River, including critical areas for hunting, fishing, harvesting wild rice, and cultural resources — rights that the US is bound by treaty and integrity to uphold,” the letter read.
The letter also reminded Biden of the contributions of its signers to his presidential campaign, urging him to fulfill his pledge to address climate issues. (RELATED: 19 States Urge Biden To Reinstate Keystone After Colonial Pipeline Hack Caused Mass Gas Shortages)
“We worked hard for your election in part because you embraced that challenge as a defining strength of your candidacy,” the letter read. “Your presidency is a watershed in human history, the last chance to turn the tide before climate disruption spirals out of control.”
The Biden administration backed the pipeline in June, which was previously approved under the Trump administration. However, Biden did cancel the permit of the Keystone XL pipeline in January, which had faced similar public opposition as the Enbridge Line 3.
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