Indigenous group strikes deal for equity stake in Keystone XL pipeline
Jai Sen
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Indigenous Peoples in movement…, Turtle Island in movement…, Canada in movement…, The US in movement…, Capitalism in movement…
[The times, they are a-changing… Is what is happening here the same as what is unfolding in an earlier post I recently did on what on the surface looks on the surface like a similar development (on November 13, ‘Mi’kmaq First Nations Coalition Takes Control Of Major Seafood Company’, at https://popularresistance.org/mikmaq-first-nations-coalition-takes-control-of-major-seafood-company/) ? If not, why not and how not ?
[I guess that this is one more – and powerful - reminder that it’s time that those of us who are not Indigenous, shed our standard essentialisation of ‘Indigenous Peoples’ and recognise that just in other societies, and in other sections of larger society, there are different interests at play within Indigenous societies; here in relation to the Keystone XL project, but also perhaps in relation to all so-called ‘resource extraction’ activities, and indeed perhaps, to all areas of life and culture; and that as Indigenous Peoples’ societies develop within capitalist contexts, that this will increasingly take place; and therefore for all of us to recognise that the politics of sovereignty is profoundly complicated :
Keystone XL is still the subject of numerous legal disputes in the United States, and president-elect Joe Biden promised during the recent election campaign that he would tear up a key presidential permit for the project.
Still, Mr. Meguinis [the company’s chief executive] believes the deal is a solid investment that will bring much-needed wealth to First Nation communities and play a key role in helping secure support for the project, particularly south of the border.
That’s because the group has “a lot in common” with Mr. Biden, Mr. Meguinis said, and will bring its experience and traditional knowledge of environmental protection to the table, in both improving regulatory compliance and helping alleviate the concerns of those fighting the pipeline.
…
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney trumpeted the Natural Law deal in a statement Tuesday as a “historic agreement” and a model of how to build “strong and trusted partnerships between industry and Indigenous groups” that bring jobs and wealth into their communities.
“As stewards of the land, air and water, First Nations project partners will help ensure that Keystone XL – and projects like it – continue to be built with the protection of the environment at the forefront of every decision,” he said.
In Canada / on Turtle Island :
Indigenous group strikes deal for equity stake in Keystone XL pipeline
November 17 2020
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Indigenous-owned Natural Law Energy Inc. has signed a deal allowing it to make an equity investment of up to $1-billion in the Keystone XL pipeline, in a move it also hopes can help persuade opponents to support the project.
The deal with TC Energy Corp. gives Natural Law until September, 2021, to secure financing to buy into the pipeline. It builds on a memorandum of understanding signed two months ago. TC Energy says it will use similar ownership models for additional Indigenous communities along the Keystone XL corridor in Canada and the United States.
Tuesday’s agreement includes the Nekaneet and Little Pine First Nations in Saskatchewan, and the Ermineskin Cree Nation, Montana First Nation and Louis Bull Tribe in Alberta.
Ottawa says asking Joe Biden not to cancel Keystone is ‘top of the agenda’
The company’s chief executive, Travis Meguinis, told The Globe and Mail that the billion-dollar deal is one of the largest ever made between an energy company and First Nations.
But completion of the pipeline – which will ship 830,000 barrels of crude a day to Steele City, Neb., from Hardisty, Alta. – is far from guaranteed.
Keystone XL is still the subject of numerous legal disputes in the United States, and president-elect Joe Biden promised during the recent election campaign that he would tear up a key presidential permit for the project.
Still, Mr. Meguinis believes the deal is a solid investment that will bring much-needed wealth to First Nation communities and play a key role in helping secure support for the project, particularly south of the border.
That’s because the group has “a lot in common” with Mr. Biden, Mr. Meguinis said, and will bring its experience and traditional knowledge of environmental protection to the table, in both improving regulatory compliance and helping alleviate the concerns of those fighting the pipeline.
"We can be more responsible stewards of the land and bring more efficiency to the transition from carbon [fuels] to renewables,” he said.
____________________________
Jai Sen
Independent researcher, editor; Senior Fellow at the School of International Development and Globalisation Studies at the University of Ottawa
jai...@cacim.net & js...@uottawa.ca
Now based in Ottawa, Canada, on unsurrendered Anishinaabe territory (+1-613-282 2900) and in New Delhi, India (+91-98189 11325)
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Jai Sen, ed, 2017 – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ?. New Delhi : OpenWord and Oakland, CA : PM Press. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press; hard copy only also at The Movements of Movements
Jai Sen, ed, 2018a – The Movements of Movements, Part 2 : Rethinking Our Dance. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press; hard copy only also at The Movements of Movements
Jai Sen, ed, 2018b – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ? (Indian edition). New Delhi : AuthorsUpfront, in collaboration with OpenWord and PM Press. Hard copy available at MOM1AmazonIN, MOM1Flipkart, and MOM1AUpFront
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