February, 07 2021, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Keith Rushing, Earthjustice, (757) 897-2147
Alexis Andiman, EarthjusticeÂ
Moneen Nasmith, Earthjustice
Federal Court Allows Harmful Oil Project to Continue
A federal judge has decided against granting a preliminary injunction that would have temporarily halted construction of a harmful oil pipeline project that would transport tar sands oil from Canada to Wisconsin, through northern Minnesota.
Since Canadian oil giant Enbridge received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in November, the company has been removing vegetation, including mature trees, and digging trenches through wetlands and waterways, damaging land, water, and ecosystems that are part of the Anishinaabe heritage and key to their survival.
WASHINGTON
A federal judge has decided against granting a preliminary injunction that would have temporarily halted construction of a harmful oil pipeline project that would transport tar sands oil from Canada to Wisconsin, through northern Minnesota.
Since Canadian oil giant Enbridge received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in November, the company has been removing vegetation, including mature trees, and digging trenches through wetlands and waterways, damaging land, water, and ecosystems that are part of the Anishinaabe heritage and key to their survival.
Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental organization, is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--on behalf of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Honor the Earth, and the Sierra Club--arguing the federal agency illegally approved a water permit so Enbridge could construct a 330-mile pipeline carrying tar sands oil.
"We're disturbed that the court would not at least temporarily stop Enbridge from destroying the water and wetlands we have used and depended on since time immemorial," said Chairman Darrell G. Seki, Sr., of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. "But we will not stop fighting."
"For us, water is life. Our water and wetlands provide the ability to fish, hunt and harvest wild rice," said Mike Fairbanks, Chairman of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. "We have worked to protect the water for hundreds of years, and we will continue to do this work, despite the court's decision."
Earthjustice argues the Army Corps, in approving the permit, failed to fulfill its duty to evaluate the risks of oil spills and their effects on tribes and tribal resources, as well as other devastating impacts the pipeline would have on waters and wetlands in Minnesota.
On Dec. 24, Earthjustice filed a motion for a preliminary injunction at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to halt construction and prevent environmental damage until the court reviews the claims in its case.
"We're disappointed with the court's decision," said Earthjustice Attorney Moneen Nasmith. "But we will continue to press our case that the Army Corps violated the law and failed to fulfill its responsibilities in granting the permit."
"The Army Corps recklessly ignored the harm that this dangerous pipeline will cause to water, species and ecosystems, and it failed to consider how that harm will affect Tribal citizens who rely on subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering," she added. "The Biden Administration has pledged to address environmental racism, but actions speak louder than words."
"The Biden Administration has both the ability and responsibility to stop Line 3 construction from moving forward, starting by directing the Army Corps to immediately revoke the CWA Section 404 permit. President Biden's executive action to cancel Keystone XL was a big win, but should be just the tip of the iceberg. We need the same kind of action applied to Line 3 to put a stop to dirty tar sands moving through treaty land, wild rice lakes, and the headwaters of the Mississippi River -- all of which are threatened by this pipeline," said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes.
Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. We bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations, coalitions and communities.
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'My Child Is Human': Palestinian American Mother Disrupts Austin Testimony
"Secretary Austin, why are you denying Israel's genocide in Gaza?" advocates asked the defense secretary at a hearing.
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A week after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers that the U.S. has no "evidence of genocide being created" in Gaza, peace activists disrupted the Pentagon chief's testimony on the Biden administration's 2025 budget request and demanded he acknowledge the humanity of Palestinian children.
"My child is human!" said Nasbeebah Hajjaj, a Palestinian-American woman who held up her 16-month-old son, Hamza. "Stop killing Palestinian children!"
The anti-war group CodePink said Hajjaj immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was two months old, and has lost approximately 20 family members to Israel's bombardment of Gaza since October.
The group targeted Austin's testimony a month after the Biden administration released its 2025 budget request—a proposal that includes $1.1 trillion in military-related spending. Despite growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and rights advocates, the White House has not announced conditions for military aid to Israel, which has been widely accused of human rights violations as it has assaulted Gaza and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians.
Israel's bombardment has killed at least 33,899 Palestinians so far, and more than two dozen people have died of starvation in recent months as international experts have warned parts of northern Gaza are facing famine.
At least 13,000 children have been killed, and the United Nations reported in February that 70% of those killed overall have been women and children—even as Israel and the U.S. have insisted Israeli forces are targeting Hamas.
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling in January saying Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza, and lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have expressed support for the ruling—but the U.S. has dismissed the court's findings, including at Austin's hearing last week.
While Hajjaj held up her son at Wednesday's hearing, another protester, identified by CodePink as Helen, addressed the defense secretary.
"Secretary Austin, why are you denying Israel's genocide in Gaza? Why are you denying genocide in Gaza?" said Helen, who was arrested after being led out of the hearing. "The whole world sees it! You know the laws of war! You know you have blood on your hands! You have blood on your hands! We have blood on our hands."
The advocates chanted, "Shame on you!" as they were led out of the hearing room.
Outside the hearing room, Hajjaj emphasized that the Biden administration has "the power to stop" Israel's attacks on Gaza by cutting off its military aid—of which the U.S. is the largest international supplier. The Foreign Assistance Act stipulates that the U.S. cannot provide military funding to countries that block American humanitarian aid.
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The new paper comes amid the contentious rise of AI-powered lethal autonomous weapons systems, or killer robots; increasing reliance upon AI on battlefields from Gaza to Ukraine; and growing backlash from tech workers opposed to their companies' products and services being used to commit or enable war crimes.
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The report highlights the rise of a new class of billion-dollar military contractors, "a combination of gargantuan tech firms like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, and hundreds of smaller, pre-IPO startup companies supported by VC firms."
"The use of drones and AI-enabled weapons systems in Ukraine and Gaza, and a feared AI arms race with China, have fueled the
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A lack of transparency is obscuring the true value of some of the largest military contracts to tech companies.
"One estimate indicates that U.S. military and intelligence agencies awarded at least $28 billion to Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet (Google's parent company) between 2018 and 2022," the report states. "The actual value of these contracts is likely much higher, because many of the largest known contracts with U.S. tech companies are classified and withheld from public procurement databases."
González found that the five largest military contracts to major tech firms between 2018 and 2022 "had contract ceilings totaling at least $53 billion combined."
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González said that multi-year software-as-a-service contracts "could make the Pentagon and CIA more dependent than ever on the expertise of technical experts from the private sector."
The risk of conflicts of interest increases as military-dependent tech companies go public.
"As just one example, since going public, more than half of Palantir Technologies' revenue has come from the federal government," the report states. "Recent Palantir contracts with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and the Air Force are worth more than $900 million. Palantir stock rose more than 170% in 2023."
There's also the danger of a "revolving door" between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon as many senior government officials "are now gravitating towards defense-related VC or private equity firms as executives or advisers after they retire from public service."
"The traditional 'revolving door' meant that a former defense official might accept an executive position with traditional weapons manufacturers; there are more lucrative options now," González wrote. "At least 50 former defense officials are working in VC and private equity, leveraging their connections with current officials or members of Congress to advance beneficial legislation for defense tech firms in their firms' investment portfolios."
"The implications are significant: The new 'revolving door' will accelerate military and intelligence agency funding for early-stage defense tech startups," the report states.
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The election kicked off a month after workers at the Chattanooga plant filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) formally requesting an election to join the UAW, which secured record-breaking contracts at the Big Three U.S. automakers last year after a historic six-week strike.
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The Chattanooga election marks the third time in a decade that the UAW has tried to organize the Volkswagen plant, which currently has around 4,300 workers. Voting concludes on Friday.
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About 4,000 Volkswagen workers in Tennessee are voting on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers. Labor journalist @hamiltonnolan says it's the most important union vote in years and could be the "first domino" in a wider push to organize the auto industry in the South. pic.twitter.com/RWFnO5KznI
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) April 17, 2024
Chattanooga workers voiced confidence that this election will be different than 2014 and 2019, when Volkswagen employees voted against joining the UAW by narrow margins.
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