Montanans to Call on DEQ to Reject Keystone XL Water Crossing Permit

This afternoon, Montanans will join a public hearing teleconference hosted by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to register their opposition to a proposed water permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. If built, Keystone XL would carry some of the dirtiest oil on the planet through a number of sensitive wetlands and waterways in Montana, including the Missouri River. Under section 401 of the Clean Water Act, states must certify that proposed pipelines will not violate state water quality standards before construction can begin, so DEQ is tasked with determining whether or not to issue that state-level certification for Montana. President-Elect Joe Biden has pledged to revoke federal permitting for the controversial project. 

Today’s hearing will take place from 4pm- 8pm MT. To listen or participate: 

• Join Zoom Meeting HERE or Dial by Telephone: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 406 444 9999

• Meeting ID: 944 0606 7824
• Password: 265342

“Keystone XL would pose an unacceptable risk to Montana’s clean water resources,” said Sierra Club Montana Chapter Director Summer Nelson. “Montanans shouldn’t be forced to take that risk for the benefit of a Canadian pipeline company. We urge the DEQ to listen to Montanans and reject the water crossing permit for this dangerous tar sands pipeline.” 

“The Keystone XL pipeline poses a direct threat to the irrigation and drinking waters for all of the Fort Peck Reservation,” said Bill Whitehead, Chairman of the Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water Supply System and a Northern Plains Resource Council member. “Any oil spill is bad enough, but these Canadian tar sands are especially toxic and basically impossible to clean up. Our water intakes are downstream from the proposed Missouri River crossing and provide drinking water for tens of thousands of Montanans spanning the entire northeastern corner of Montana. The health and safety of over a dozen native and non-native towns and communities could be jeopardized by any spill. This includes thirteen rural schools and four hospitals.”

 “The climate crisis is here. It is already disrupting our food system, and it will become much worse if we don’t change our ways,” said Fallon County family farmer Wade Sikorski. “So now, we’ve got a choice to make: We can have the Keystone pipeline, or we can have food, but we can’t have both.”  

"The water permit for the KXL Pipeline should be denied," said Angeline Cheek, Fort Peck Dakota/Lakota tribal member and ACLU of Montana Indigenous Justice Organizer. "Under the Montana Constitution, we have a right to a clean and healthful environment. This pipeline puts the health of tribal members at risk, contaminates our drinking water, and upsets our entire way of living in harmony with the earth's resources. The construction of this pipeline could violate our unalienable rights and would harm countless people and communities, Montana must put people before profits." 

For more information or interviews with Montanans participating in today’s hearing, contact Gabby Brown at gabby.brown@sierraclub.org or 914-261-4626.