EPA Critical of Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

A small victory was won in the battle to stop the devastation of Alberta tar sands development: the EPA officially weighed in on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, calling the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement inadequate and raising serious concerns about the environmental review.

The 1700 mile XL pipeline would extend the tentacles of Canadian tar sands development from Alberta to the Texas gulf, cutting across the U.S. heartland. According to the EPA’s comments, pipeline safety, spill response and impacts on First Nations communities in Canada all need further research and assessment, and much more information is needed about the green house gas implications and the need for such a dirty fuels project. Read more...

The True Price of Energy: 31 Years Since Church Rock, Today It's BP Oil

Fri, 07/16/2010 - 4:44pm — Nellis Kennedy-...

On July 15th, thirty-one years ago, all was usual in the Church Rock area of the Navajo reservation. Life was “everyday normal” for Navajo families, but maybe not “everyday normal” for the average person living in the United States. You see, at this time, many Navajo families had no electricity and drove several miles to haul potable water, as no running water was available. This was life as normal for the area. Read more...

Plains Justice Release: Keystone XL Environmental Review Fatally Flawed

Groups Ask State Department to Bring Review up to Standards or Deny Pipeline Permit

Today 13 northern plains and Native groups asked the U.S. Department of State either to revise the pipeline's draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and resubmit it to the public for review or to deny the Keystone XL pipeline's application for a Presidential Permit. Read more...

"Indian Country" Nuclear Spill Site Approved Again for Uranium Mining

Mon, 06/21/2010 - 3:45pm — Nellis Kennedy-...

Again. Really? “This is not your land. This is not your land. This is not your land.” Repeatedly, the federal government continues to proclaim that this land does not belong to its original inhabitants. This time, the 10th Circuit of Appeals, has told plaintiff's Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) and the entire Navajo Nation that allotted lands in the checkerboard area of the Navajo Nation do not fall within the definition of "Indian Country" and are therefore not under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation. Read more...

Amy's Blog: Our Last Day on the Flathead Reservation, Bison Range & House Party Videos

Fri, 06/11/2010 - 8:41pm — Amy Ray

6.6.10
We had one last day of learning about some significant Native justice issues in Montana. We left from our hotel on Flathead Lake to travel down to the National Bison Range on the reservation. We were lucky to hear a last impromptu rallying talk from Jodi Rave and Eriel Deranger about the emotional perspective they have while doing work on behalf of Native social and environmental justice. It can’t really be overstated how important it is to have your land and culture in tact, and to understand the challenge of working on these issues in communities where the basics of food and shelter are still hard to come by. Read more...