Antoine. Photo by author
Enbridge, the company that owns the pipeline, initially told the residents of Wrigley that only four barrels of oil had leaked. In the end, Enbridge would admit 1500 barrels spilled, and paid for a large cleanup. Antoine said he appreciates that the company dug out the ground and washed their trucks to avoid introducing invasive species, but why did Enbridge feel the need to replant?"They brought in black spruce from outside," Antoine explained. "Why? Because the paid consultants told them to. But why not let it reseed, with our own trees?" To me, the question seemed reasonable: We were in a clearing overgrown with fresh weeds, but beyond that lay nothing but millions of black spruce.Read more: Why I Canoed 1,200 Miles to the Arctic Circle to Report on Climate Change
It was a pre-existing engineering plan waiting for a crisis to make it feasible.
William Wilder sits in the empty board room of Canadian Arctic Gas Pipeline Ltd., of which he is chairman. In 1975 the company lost its battle to build a $10 billion natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley. Photo: Reg Innell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
"We can get huge chunks of money from the federal government for water conferences, so we do that," he said.Read more: The People Making Solar Power Where the Sun Doesn't Set
Unsurprisingly, then, tribal leaders are divided on the issue. Earlier this year, the Gwitch'in Tribal Council voted to ban hyrdrofracking in their region of the Northwest Territories. And yet at the same time, the Aboriginal Pipeline Group has expressed frustration that its oil company partners aren't serious about the pipeline and aren't moving fast enough."I sleep next to the pipeline, my pillow rests right on top of it, but I have to drive two hours to get gas."