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# Tim Walz & Line 3
- URL: https://www.possibilities.news/tim-walz-line-3-indigenous/
- Published: 2024-08-08T18:45:39.000Z
- Updated: 2024-08-15T15:10:04.000Z
- Description: Indigenous water protectors in Minnesota aren't cheering a Harris-Walz White House just yet.
- Author: Yessenia Funes

**LISTENING:** *to the rain falling outside*  
**FEELING:** *confused about life!!!*  
**SEEING:** *the gray skies give me some cool relief*

Sorry for such a late newsletter today. Yesterday was one of those days I expected to get a lot more done, and then the day slipped away. I did manage to co-work with a friend and see another afterward. I really needed some friend time — it's been an emotionally hard week, and my period is coming soon. Gah, I'm just feeling the feelings these days.

The weather in New York isn't helping. It's been raining nonstop, ushering in a breeze we've been in serious need of. Temperatures have been hitting a cool 69 degrees Fahrenheit. All this moisture is a result of Tropical Storm Debby, which is churning through the Atlantic. It's already [killed](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/08/debby-tropical-storm-updates/74716296007/?ref=possibilities.news) at least seven people. Let's hope there's no more death (but the death toll has literally increased since I began writing this so 😔).

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What I really want to talk about today, however, is the big news around the presidential ticket. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is [tapping in](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4789021-kamala-harris-vp-tim-walz-minnesota/?ref=possibilities.news) as Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate. Most of what I'm seeing online is positive. I've got to admit that I did not hear of the guy until the announcement. I've seen gone down a hole trying to learn more about him. 

He seemed perfect until I saw some reactions from Indigenous folks in Minnesota. They gave me a sobering reminder: No politician is perfect. And we must hold them accountable, even in our support of them.

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Welcome to **Possibilities**, a creative climate newsletter on the possibilities that lie where crisis meets community. I’m **Yessenia Funes**, and do you remember the Line 3 crude oil pipeline battle?

I first covered the controversial pipeline and the Indigenous resistance to it [back in 2017](https://gizmodo.com/tribes-across-the-midwest-are-gearing-up-for-a-big-new-1820338774?ref=possibilities.news) when I was a staff writer for Earther. I continued to cover the issue in [several](https://atmos.earth/line-3-protests-indigenous-queer-lgbtq/?ref=possibilities.news) [pieces](https://atmos.earth/line-3-sexual-violence-mmiw-climate-justice/?ref=possibilities.news) for Atmos. Ultimately, the pipeline went into [operation](https://www.enbridge.com/media-center/news/details?id=123692&lang=en&ref=possibilities.news) in October 2021\. Tim Walz was governor at the time.

[Tribes Across the Midwest Are Gearing up for a Big New Pipeline BattleThe sun was still hiding Wednesday morning, November 8, when about 15 individuals woke up to leave Camp Makwa on the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation in![](https://gizmodo.com/apple-touch-icon.png)GizmodoYessenia Funes![](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/gizmodo-social.jpg)](https://gizmodo.com/tribes-across-the-midwest-are-gearing-up-for-a-big-new-1820338774?ref=possibilities.news)

The 1,097-mile-long pipeline, which was ultimately a replacement project that expanded the pipeline's oil capacity, now transports 760,000 barrels of oil a day, exacerbating the climate crisis. The line also cuts through the lands of the Fond du Lac Reservation and Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. And it threatens the sacred wild rice fields, [or manoomin](https://www.hcn.org/articles/latest-justice-wild-rice-sues-to-stop-oil-pipeline/?ref=possibilities.news), of the Ojibwe and Anishinaabe people.

Walz initially came out in opposition to the oil development. Indeed, his administration [continued](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/08/18/walz-administration-keeps-up-fight-against-line-3?ref=possibilities.news) legal challenges to Line 3, but he didn't go as far as Indigenous advocates would have wanted to use executive power and stop it, especially after the courts failed. Emily Atkin and Arielle Samuelson at HEATED have an [in-depth report](https://heated.world/p/tim-walzs-green-resume-has-an-oily?ref=possibilities.news) on the saga here. Here's a snippet:

> Indigenous water protectors who spent years resisting Line 3 told HEATED they viewed Walz’s decision as a betrayal of what he promised Indigenous voters during his gubernatorial run.  
>  
> “He went back on a very important promise to Minnesotans and allowed poison to flow through our lands and precious waterways,” said Simone Senogles, a Red Lake Anishinaabe water protector and operations director at the nonprofit [Indigenous Environmental Network](https://www.ienearth.org/?ref=possibilities.news). “I wish Vice President Harris had chosen someone with a track record for environmental protection."  
>  
> “The Native community really showed up, and came out with votes in the thousands,” said Gina Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. “And once they were elected, they turned around and they approved the permits for Pipeline 3.”

Tara Houska, an Indigenous water protector who had been [arrested](https://www.vogue.com/article/letter-from-a-jailed-line-3-water-protector?ref=possibilities.news) during a civil disobedience action against the pipeline and faced [charges](https://x.com/zhaabowekwe/status/1815732715741651162?ref=possibilities.news) from the state, [voiced](https://x.com/zhaabowekwe/status/1820883781282361364?ref=possibilities.news) their concern about Walz on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Gotta earn our votes," Houska wrote about Walz, calling out the [arrests](https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/365535/tim-walz-minneapolis-burning-riot-george-floyd-minnesota-2020-protest?ref=possibilities.news) of protesters after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020 and the raids on homeless encampments under Walz's governorship.

Clearly, Walz isn't perfect. We know this. Neither is Harris. The genocide in Gaza continues, after all, under her ongoing leadership in the White House. The criminalization of protesters is dangerous, and it deserves scrutiny and outrage. The Harris-Walz candidacy needs to answer for this. 

Is this the type of police response the public should expect if they enter the White House come January? Will we get another Line 3 or MVP or Willow Project? Or will we finally leave oil and gas in the ground and heed the calls of climate scientists around the globe? 

Will we give our children a future? Or will we throw anyone who dares fight for that future in prison? 🌀

👛

In case you weren't aware, you can always adjust your subscription [here](#/portal/account/plans). The newsletter has several tiers, so if you're able to give more or need to give less, please adjust it as you see fit!

📘

I'm also giving y'all a first look into my attempt to write my children's book. I [wrote](https://www.possibilities.news/a-year-of-possibilities/) about this a few weeks ago, but here is the [landing pag](https://www.possibilities.news/childrens-book/)e where I'm keeping track of all the editions where you can find what I've shared so far.

## Rest in Power

**While we can't say for certain that climate change led to these specific weather events (we need attribution studies for that), we do know that the Earth's rising temperatures are already creating more disasters like these.**

*A gentle reminder to take a deep breath before and after reading this list, always. Today's is especially long and tragic. I'm sorry to bring you all terrible news, but these deaths are what climate injustice looks like. These are lives, families torn apart, entire worlds blown to bits. We must honor them.*

Tropical Storm Debby is behind at least [seven deaths](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/08/debby-tropical-storm-updates/74716296007/?ref=possibilities.news) in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.

A heat wave is boiling China, and at least two people are [dead](https://www.voanews.com/a/china-discloses-first-heatstroke-fatalities-amid-record-temperatures/7734451.html?ref=possibilities.news) as of Thursday.

In Pakistan, at least [156 people](https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-monsoon-rains-deaths-damage-85c98901696eed48aff590962256e8c9?ref=possibilities.news) have died from six weeks of monsoon rains and floods.

Flooding from severe rains in southern Yemen has [killed](https://www.voanews.com/a/torrential-rains-yemen/7733660.html?ref=possibilities.news) at least 45 people.

In the Kerala state of India, a terrible [landslide](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/kerala/story/kerala-wayanad-landslide-bodies-mundakai-chooralmala-2579322-2024-08-08?ref=possibilities.news) triggered by rains has left over 400 people dead. It's a devastating loss.

The [death toll](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/01/china/typhoon-gaemi-china-hunan-deaths-intl-latam/index.html?ref=possibilities.news) from Typhoon Gaemi last week is up to at least 30.

A pilot in Oregon [died](https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-death/ore-pilot-killed-while-fighting-wildfires-died-doing-what-he-loved?ref=possibilities.news) fighting wildfires several weeks ago. Jim Maxwell was 73.

The Stone Canyon wildfire in Colorado, now 100 percent contained and over, [killed](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/colorado-wildfire-blamed-one-death-california-blaze-expands-2024-08-01/?ref=possibilities.news) at least one person last week.

## Currently Reading

I'm so disappointed in [my city's inability](https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/08/07/randalls-island-migrant-encampment/?ref=possibilities.news) to house migrants.

The HEATED team stay killing it. I loved [this](https://heated.world/p/dont-forget-about-saint-lucia?ref=possibilities.news) Olympics story about Saint Lucia.

Yes to giving disaster-stricken communities money! I loved seeing this [update](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jul/31/loss-and-damage-how-the-first-climate-survivors-to-receive-funds-are-rebuilding-their-lives-in-malawi?ref=possibilities.news) about Malawi post-Cyclone Freddy.

Fun fact: I used to think about going back to school for human geography, so I really appreciated [this](https://grist.org/looking-forward/indigenous-geography-could-change-how-we-relate-to-the-earth/?ref=possibilities.news) Grist story reframing geography through an Indigenous lens.

## Collage

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/1a/0c1a1c44-c395-4236-a843-5697585f81d1/content/images/2024/08/006_why-1.png)

006\. ****WHY?** by Yessenia Funes using mixed media, 2023\. (From the archive)

****What are you reading and seeing? Share in a comment.**

**See you next week. xx**

\- Yessenia