The Bayou Bridge Pipeline, illegal and dangerous infrastructure.

tawasi (63)in #informationwar • 6 years ago

Hey there Steemians!

There is a pipeline being built in the bayous of Louisiana, it is known as the Bayou Bridge Pipeline.

The pipeline is being built without proper permits, in fact there is a judgement which has called for work to stop until the coastal permits can be acquired. Through a lawsuit it was exposed that the department which issued the permits rushed them and didn’t follow the law.

Because corners were cut, rather laws were broken, the company responsible for the pipeline Energy Transfer Partners has been devastating fragile ecosystems in the Atchafalaya basin. This body of water is the primary fishing grounds for crawdad fishers of the region. The illegal constructing is changing the way water flows through this network of waterways, and by damaging waterways the pipeline construction is putting the livelihoods of these fishers at risk. Even if the pipeline doesn’t burst and poison all of the water in this region, the damage caused by the construction of this pipeline is enough of a threat to the water that a judge has ordered the company to stop. Yet Energy Transfer Partners continues building, with police protection.

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The police clearly are not working in the best interest of the residents of the state of Louisiana. Especially considering there is a court order calling for construction to stop it seems like law enforcement would do their job by halting this project until it can be properly permitted. Instead law enforcement continues to deploy shock troops to defend the project from Water Protectors who are asserting their right to peaceful assembly. The politicians are also working on behalf of the oil company. They are working on legislation to curtail the rights of the people.

The state of Louisiana has long been associated with graft, bribery and a corrupt political class. The Bayou Bridge Pipeline is an extension of this low standard of accountability where politicians are concerned. The pipeline company met with the governor of Louisiana behind closed doors well ahead of the beginning of construction in a meeting which was not disclosed to the public, even while the people were actively asking for information about possible meetings between Energy Transfer Partners and the governor. The media has been largely silent on nepotism in government. Even going so far as to paint the Water Protectors with a bad brush, portraying their peaceful prayerful tactics as violent and dangerous. This narrative is familiar to those of us who follow environmental or political movements.

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The pipeline company has also hired private security. In these situations private security works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement, they are even given a seat inside of the fusion centers. These paramilitary forces use tactics which are unconstitutional and illegal. They are unconcerned with potential liability for criminal activity because they associate with so called legitimate agencies to surveil, infiltrate, disrupt, and even entrap people in the Water Protector’s movement. There is a perfect marriage of corporation of state in the relationship between these private security corporations and the corrupt legislators, regulators and law enforcement.

There is a resistance camp in place attempting to preserve the homelands of the Houma People, the camp is led by indigenous women and they are taking direct action to document the activities of the pipeline workers. It has become dramatically clear that the state regulators and and law enforcement are not upholding their oath of office where this project is concerned. The lack of action on behalf of the official agencies has created a situation where the Water Protectors of L'eau Est La Vie Camp have become the monitors and enforcers of permit violations. These courageous activists are working in concert with other environmental groups in the area to raise awareness, halt illegal construction and force rulings from the judicial branch.

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The agency charged with protecting the natural resources of the area, the DNR, has so far utterly failed in living up to their mission statement. Instead of acting to “protect the resources for future generations” the agency has retroactively legitimized the criminal behaviors of Energy Transfer Partners. When the pipeline company violates the law, the DNR alters the permits, they are actively engaged in the destruction of the environment they swore to protect by forgiving and failing to punish the pipeline company for their criminal behaviors. Now a judge has found that the Louisiana DNR violated state law by allowing a permit to be issued without proper planning on behalf of the pipeline company for the event of a leak. The judge ordered the DNR to require the pipeline company to establish evacuation and clean up plans for the coastal region as required by law.

Setting aside the violations of state law, the environmental devastation, and the lack of long term benefits to the state, the construction of the Bayou Bridge pipeline is having a direct impact on the people who live in the region that the pipeline passes through. In Louisiana there is a serious problem for homeowners around the issue of subsidence. Subsidence occurs when the foundation of a home shifts because of unstable soil. This issue is a real problem for the people who live near the pipeline construction sites because of heavy machinery. The steam shovels used to dig trenches for the pipeline do more than move soil for burying pipelines. These tractors shake the earth because of the vibrations caused by their massive diesel engines. These monstrous earth movers are shaking the foundations of homes in the area to the point of affecting the stability of their foundations. Basically the construction of the pipeline is ruining people’s homes.

The construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline has never been in the interest of the people of the state of Louisiana. The pipeline will serve to export crude oil, it won’t bring long term jobs to the region, and does cause long term damage. Because of these factors the citizens are largely against this pipeline. It was clear during the public hearings that people don’t want their livelihoods further harmed by oil extraction, especially in the wake of the Deep Water Horizon gulf of mexico oil spill which is still poisoning the region. The hostile public opinion caused a reaction from the oil companies. They hired fake news writers to publish lies about the nature of the Water Protectors involved in doing the will of the people. The fake news company which was hired by Energy Transfer Partners has a history of deceptive media. The particular fake news/clickbait company which was employed has a track record for deceptive products. They are known to hire actors to create “livestreams” using scripts that create a false narrative. Through the work of numerous investigative journalists it was exposed that the company Chasing Chains LLC is willing to violate the principles of journalism by fabricating and publishing untruths in the name of profit. They made facebook pages to peddle their falsehoods. In fact the same company was hired in Iowa to attack the Water Protectors of Little Creek Camp.

The industry has taken things to the next level. Despite the fact that this pipeline is shipping crude oil to export terminals for foreign consumption, the industry was able to entice the legislators of Louisiana to approve legislation making pipelines into “critical infrastructure” and protecting these products as if they were for the public’s good. This protection came in the form of House Bill 727 which makes it a criminal offense to trespass on private property where critical infrastructure is located. A person caught violating this law can face upto 20 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. The legislation also creates a conspiracy charge for people who talk about this type of activity. Legislation like this has been introduced across the country as part of the American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC, this group of industry insiders use their wealth and influence to put in place unconstitutional laws. ALEC is responsible for other horrific laws which have been put in place as our country slides into fascism. One example of a law created by ALEC and passed by sellout politicians is the Right To Work law, which allows employers to bust up unions.

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There are currently indigenous women who are putting their bodies on the line to halt this illegal construction. They have faced state sponsored surveillance, private security, psychological attacks and even vigilante attacks on their person, property, and reputation. The pipeline company is hellbent on their task of finishing this final section of the project which begins as the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The pipelines ownership is made up of banksters and oil baron. These tycoons are largely above the law. They don’t face repercussions for having conflicts of interest. They don’t have to worry about taking a loss on their infrastructure, because the taxpayers will be saddled with the expenses arising from any potential oil spill. They insulate themselves from liability by creating shell companies and hiring subcontractors to take the fall. It’s the standard across the industry.

There are things you can do to make a change in this conflict in Louisiana. The Water Protectors are calling for support. The people who are supposed to be protecting the environment have been bought out, so there is a need for citizen monitors to do the work of documenting violations carried out by pipeline workers. The L'eau Est La Vie Camp is accepting applications from individuals who are interested in helping the Water Protectors to defend these sacred and life giving waters. If you are able to travel to Louisiana and follow the leadership of Native Women there may be a place for you in camp as a Water Protector.