Rivers of Oil: An MPR News podcast

Rivers of Oil

In this podcast from MPR News, a look at how the pipelines beneath our feet, from Keystone XL to Dakota Access to Line 3, have come to the forefront of an epic tug of war between reliance and risk — and how we all have a role to play in this story.

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Oil and water: Full coverage of the Line 3 pipeline replacement project

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Episode 1: Pipes
Pipelines are everywhere, 2.5 million miles of them, forming a web under our feet, our rivers, our roads. And today, nearly every time a new pipeline is proposed, it's met with protest. Now, the battle over those pipelines -- with all its costs and its chaos -- looks to be headed for Minnesota.
Episode 3: The spark that ignited fires
Pipelines have become a potent issue for Native American and indigenous people, who are fighting them across North America. Part of the fight is over culture and identity. But it also involves a messy history of land and treaties, and a long, complicated -- and often adversarial -- relationship with the U.S. government.
Episode 4: The rallying cry
In the early 2000s, the Keystone XL oil pipeline became one of the most powerful symbols in the fight against climate change. And since then, it's not just local landowners fighting pipelines in their backyards anymore. It's environmental groups, Native Americans tribes, farmers and ranchers, and a crucial addition to the alliance -- climate change activists. But how did it begin?
Coming soon: Rivers of Oil, an MPR News podcast
All over the country, people are moving to camps in the woods, climbing trees, chaining themselves to bulldozers, all in the name of stopping oil pipelines. What's going on? Why is there suddenly a dramatic conflict around pipelines? And is it really even about pipelines at all?
Enbridge says Line 3 replacement complete, opens Friday
The project was completed despite stiff opposition from tribes, environmentalists and others that the 337-mile pipeline violated treaty rights, would worsen climate change and would risk spills. Enbridge said it was necessary to replace and expand a deteriorating pipeline built in the 1960s.
State regulators investigate release of drilling fluid into Willow River during Line 3 construction
About 80 to 100 gallons of drilling fluid, or mud, were inadvertently released on July 6 at a construction site near the town of Palisade, Minn., according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
In Clearwater County, sheriff aims to keep peace amid Line 3 resistance
Some opponents of the Enbridge Line 3 project have complained of heavy-handed tactics by police, who've rounded up and arrested people holding marches and occupying construction sites. In Clearwater County, Sheriff Darin Halverson has taken a noticeably different approach.
Protesters maintain blockade overnight at Line 3 pipeline site
Protesters fighting the Enbridge Energy company’s push to replace an aging oil pipeline across northern Minnesota maintained a blockade at a pump station Tuesday as part of a summer drive to stop the project before it can go into service.