MI CATS

Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands

[taken from the MICATS facebook page]

The MI Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI CATS) seeks to unite the people of Michigan towards a common goal of stopping all transportation and refining of tar sands oil in the state & advocating against the production/transportation of tar sands everywhere.

In order to reach our goals, we hope to put together a broad and diverse coalition of people who are ready to take action around this incredibly important issue. We welcome any and all people who find themselves aligned with our goals to join us in this effort to unite the many groups already working around this issue so that we may take more serious and impactful actions as a collective. Want to learn more about tar sands? Check out this blog post to learn more about the issue and what is going on with Enbridge pipelines in Michigan: http://mistudentsustain.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/issue-briefs-part-1-tar-sands/

GOALS:

-- Stop the transportation and refining of tar sands oil in Michigan, as well as advocate for the end of all the tar sands production that causes so much harm to our friends and wildlife in Canada and on First Nation lands.

--Spread awareness of Enbridge’s Midwest pipeline plans to a local and national audience in order to elevate this issue to a spot of national concern and priority and add more strength to the argument for an overarching need to restrict fossil fuel companies’ ability to pollute freely and damage our environment

--Expose and reject the political power that oil and gas corporations, like Enbridge, use to corrupt our democratic, legal and regulatory systems to gain access to our natural resources with little benefit and in fact great harm to the public.

--Build a diverse and inclusive coalition of people who agree with these goals and can form a large grassroots base to harness and demonstrate our collective power while supporting everyone in voicing their perspectives in decisions impacting their well being.

--Be intentional about connecting with our brothers and sisters across the globe fighting against ecologically and socially exploitative and destructive practices that put profit and power before people and planet. We aim to amplify our collective voice to expand the movement of movements for a thriving, socially just, and sustainable planet.

STRATEGIES:

--Education and grassroots organizing
--Direct action to delay/stop pipeline construction
--Support legal actions to delay/stop pipeline construction