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Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) Cultural Resource Manager Isaac Weston speaks to the Pipestone City Council during its Sept. 15 meeting. He, MIAC Legislative Director Brandon Alkire, who is shown on the TV, and others, expressed concerns about and opposition to Magellan’s pipeline reroute project. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
Representatives of the Brave Heart Society and Ihanktonwan Treaty Committee presented opposition during the Sept. 15 Pipestone City Council meeting to Magellan Pipeline Company’s plans to build a new pipeline in the area.
About 10 people spoke during their presentations, expressing concerns about potential impacts of a pipeline on the pipestone quarries, and the water, land and wildlife in the area. The speakers included a wildlife biologist, hydrologist, a representative of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) and others.
Elijah Small, a wildlife biologist, who is originally from Marshall, said catlinite, or pipestone, acts like a sponge and if oil gets into it there’s no way to remove it.
“This is the only catlinite in the world and one pipeline is all it would take to wipe it off the face of the planet, and 3,000 years of tradition and culture,” Small said.
Magellan’s intention is to replace a pipeline that was decommissioned in 2022, that ran under the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge – Pipestone Creek Unit and the Pipestone National Monument, where catlinite is found.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) had granted Magellan a permit last fall for Route Alternative 1, which was suggested by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and would take the pipeline about three miles north and about three miles west of Pipestone National Monument along 40th Avenue and 151st Street, spanning about 13.1 miles. It also required the company to conduct a cultural and archaeological survey of that route.
Earlier this year, the PUC rescinded that permit and required Magellan to “select an appropriate consultant and complete, as practically as can be achieved with voluntary access to property along the routes, at a minimum Phase I of the full cultural, archaeological and historical resources inventories” for Route Alternative 1 and Route Alternative 3 in coordination with tribal nations and entities. Route Alternative 3, which was proposed by the Upper Sioux Community, would take the pipeline about five miles south and three and a half miles east of Pipestone National Monument along 61st Street and 110th Avenue, spanning about 18.7 miles.
Alexis Archambault, a hydrologist, said both routes cross multiple wetlands that provide critical habitat for a variety of species.
Faith Spotted Eagle, with the Brave Heart Society, stressed the sacredness of the pipestone, which she said affects people well beyond the city or county of Pipestone. She said people from various states and Canada submitted comments to the PUC opposing the pipeline due to the significance of the site.
“It’s one of the most sacred sites for our people,” she said.
The survey of cultural, archaeological and historical resources ordered by the PUC was done along the two potential pipeline routes earlier this year. According to an inventories monthly progress report Magellan submitted to the PUC on Aug. 29, the cultural and archaeological field inventories were completed on Aug. 26 for all tracts with survey permission. The next step was for data collected in the field to be further analyzed, which would include soliciting input from the participating tribal historic preservation officers, according to the progress report. Magellan then plans to send the inventory results to tribal nations, entities and agencies and confer with state and tribal historic preservation officers and other entities regarding the results of the inventories.
An inventory compliance filing is expected this fall, according to Magellan’s progress report, and MIAC Legislative Director Brandon Alkire said the MIAC would make its recommendations known in late fall. Spotted Eagle said the Brave Heart Society would examine the results of the surveys and do its own surveys with the traditional knowledge that they have.
Lonnie Provost, an organizer with the Brave Heart Society, asked those listening during the City Council meeting to complete an environmental assessment worksheet about the proposed pipeline and inform the community about the potential impact of the proposed pipeline project. He and others expressed their appreciation for the City Council taking the time to listen; submitting a letter last year opposing two proposed pipeline routes that were near New Woodlawn Cemetery, Old Woodlawn Cemetery, and St. Leo Catholic Cemetery; respecting the cultural significance of the site; and being good stewards of the land.
“I really appreciate you being an ally in this,” Provost said. “I’m really hoping that we can work together and fight this pipeline because it’s not a matter of if this is going to leak, it’s just a matter of when it’s going to leak, and that’s just a fact.”
The representatives of the Brave Heart Society and Ihanktonwan Treaty Committee spoke for about 45 minutes. City Council members listened to the speakers and asked questions, but took no action on any matters related to the pipeline.