First Nations peoples seek compensation for Keystone cancellation
Don Horne
News First Nations Keystone pipelineThe Biden Administration’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline is coming under fire from Indigenous groups that were partners in the development of the project.
Traditional Treaty Territory of 6, 7 & 4 – Natural Law, a sovereign organization which represents many sovereign members and Nations, is pursuing a claim challenging the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“I came to this process with a big vision for our people and the generations to come. I stand by that vision and look forward to moving ahead with a claim,” says Alvin Francis, Chief Nekaneet First Nation.
In September of 2020, Natural Law Energy (NLE) and TC Energy (TCE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for NLE to pursue an equity interest in the Keystone XL Project and other potential related midstream and power projects, with the first of these being the Keystone Pipeline System expansion.
The revocation of the permit for the Keystone system expansion by President Joe Biden on his first day in office “unilaterally stymied what was planned to be the greenest and safest pipeline project in the world. A project that also involved and was to benefit originals peoples on a scale that would take a meaningful step towards economic reconciliation,” reads the statement.
Now as TCE moves forward with seeking over $15 billion in compensation from the U.S. government for the KXL cancellation,“Natural Law as a sovereign organization intends to create a path and process forward.”
“The ceremonies we’ve held and traditional governance we’ve followed as leaders of our Nations, have brought us to a place of trust and partnership among Nations that we intend to honour and we intend to continue to grow,” says Leonard Standing On The Road, Chief Montana Cree Nation.
