Indigenous Grandmothers vs. AltaGas
(Parent Company of Washington Gas):
A Cautionary Tale for Washington, DC!
Mi’kmaq grandmothers will visit DC on June 20 all the way from Nova Scotia! Come hear their stories of protecting sacred indigenous land from the false claims and reckless pipeline plans of Washington Gas’s parent company AltaGas in Canada. Free event.
Thursday June 20, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Foundry United Methodist Church- 1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
AltaGas – the controversial parent company of Washington Gas – is increasingly referred to as “one of the worst fossil fuel companies in North America.”
But don’t take our word for it. Join us June 20 at Foundry United Methodist Church in D.C. for an in-person evening with indigenous Mi’kmaq grandmothers from Nova Scotia.
For nearly ten years, these heroic leaders fought – and won – a bruising pipeline fight against another subsidiary of AltaGas called Alton Gas. Along the way, they encountered the kind of false claims, greed, and fossil fuel expansion efforts that Washington Gas now shows almost daily across DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Learn More About Our DC Campaign Against AltaGas to “Stop Project Pipes.”
6/20 in DC: Indigenous Grandmothers Decry
Washington Gas Parent Company’s Misdeeds
Join us June 20 for an evening with Mi’kmaq grandmothers from Nova Scotia. Hear their story of resistance against AltaGas’s subsidiary, Alton Gas, the controversial parent company of Washington Gas. Learn how these indigenous leaders took on the company’s culture of false claims and won – with a cautionary tale for DC-area residents today.
A Story of Resistance
By the time the Mi’kmaq defeated AltaGas in a celebrated 2020 court case, they had been threatened by the company with arrest, exorbitant fines, and legal action against their community. At one point, the company put up “No Trespassing Signs” on tribal land, prompting the indigenous grandmothers to turn the signs around and staple copies of the Mi’kmaq 1752 treaty on them showing this was indigenous land and not available for poisoning.
Meet Two of The Indigenous Grandmothers
Who Took On Big Gas in Novia Scotia- and WON!
Thursday June 20, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Foundry United Methodist Church- 1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
At the intimate setting of DC’s Foundry United Methodist Church, Cheryl and April Maloney, who led the Mi’kmaq campaign, will tell their story with words, photos, and video. They’ll describe their “spiritual” campaign that began with the building of a sacred fire near the gas company’s proposed pipeline operation, invoking the spirit and guidance of their ancestors.
Washington Gas' Parent Company Lost The Battle With Local Indigenous Leaders
AltaGas in 2014, using outdated permits gained years before without consulting the local community, had rushed in to build a massive embarquement along the Shubenacadie River. The embarquement blocked all views of the river for nearby residents who for ages had fished and watched eagles from the river’s banks.
Alta wanted to offload methane gas from ships on the river, pipe it 7.5 miles to five underground salt domes, then retrieve the gas later using a process that would flush salty water into Shubenacadie River, an important fishery and sacred Mi’kmaq waterway.
But despite the company’s best effort to intimidate the local community while withholding key documents and seeking rubber-stamp permits, the Mi’kmaq took their case all the way to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court and won! When the top justices told AltaGas to honor the treaty and seek approval from the local community, the company gave up on their environmentally controversial gas project.
What Can We Learn From This Cautionary Tale?
The hopeful story of the Mi’kmaq is badly needed in the D.C. region where Alta-owned Washington Gas is likewise breaking agreements and trampling consumer interests. The D.C. Office of People’s Counsel has called for an investigation of the company’s clearly overpriced and unnecessary pipeline building plans in the city even while the company blatantly reneges on a legally binding $20 million promise to bring more renewable energy to the District. Meanwhile, the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel has accused the company of “misleading” marketing efforts to label its main product — climate-polluting methane gas — as “clean energy.”
Come be inspired June 20 by the story of Mi’kmaq activists who took on the Alberta-based owners of Washington Gas and brought justice to Nova Scotia.
Learn how they did it — and gain strength from this David and Goliath tale as we seek to bring similar climate justice to this region while fighting Washington Gas.
#StopProjectPipes
Mi’kmaq Grandmothers From Nova Scotia are Coming to DC!
Join us 6/20 for a cautionary tale:
An evening with Mi’kmaq grandmothers and their fight against Washington Gas’s parent company AltaGas in Canada.
Big Thanks To Our Event Co-Sponsors!
