it’s been almost a full decade now that I’ve been documenting, right here on this blog, Enbridge’s many misdeeds, mistakes, mistreatments, missteps, falsehoods, fabrications, dissemblings, distortions, and dishonest dealings with people in Michigan and beyond. It’s an appalling record, so appalling in fact that it’s frankly astonishing that anyone, much less anyone in a position of any authority, could possibly trust them or believe a word they say. And yet, a stunning number of willing dupes, including the Republican-led legislature just a few years ago, continue to do this company’s bidding (while the planet burns).
But the past week brought an example of what might very well be the worst thing Enbridge has done yet.
And believe me, I know that’s saying something. This is the same company, to cite just three of the very worst examples, that struggles even to tell the truth about when the Kalamazoo River spill happened, that straight-up lied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that just brazenly (I thought they’d never stoop lower than this) made up an unflattering story about a single ordinary citizen and spread it around publicly.
The latest, however, is simply unconscionable. It involves turning tribal relations into a crass public relations stunt. Out of respect, I will let tribal leaders and others speak for themselves about this serious and sensitive matter (see the links below). I will just observe that this episode shows that if Enbridge is not actively and deliberately engaged in fomenting division among tribal groups and members, they are at the very least self-servingly exploiting whatever divisions may exist. Either way, it’s utterly shameful. If Enbridge were truly and genuinely serious about “peacemaking” or listening or cultivating relationships with indigenous peoples based on trust and reciprocity, they would just shut up and work on it, rather than trying to make a public show of it.
Here’s the story in a few different places:
Tribal Leaders Denounce Enbridge for Manipulative Video About Indigenous Peacemaking
Tribal members criticize Enbridge claims of ‘peacemaking’ attempts
Did Enbridge intend to mislead press and public? (statement of the Anishinaabek Caucus of Michigan)
Enbridge taps new approach for pipelines (which reports on a similar strategy in Minnesota with Line 3)