2 found guilty in Wisconsin pipeline protest case

Published 10:12 pm Tuesday, August 14, 2018

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A jury has found two people guilty of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer following a protest at Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 construction site in Wisconsin last summer.

Alexander Emery Good-Cane-Milk, 24, of South Dakota and Kyla L. Hassig, 26, of Minnesota were also found guilty of trespassing on the site where Enbridge was working to replace a 12.5-mile segment of its 1960s-era oil pipeline, according to a press release.

“I don’t feel justice was served today,” Hassig said after the verdicts were read.

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Good-Cane-Milk secured himself to an excavator at the site while Hassig streamed the protest live on social media on Aug. 29, 2017. They also refused requests from Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies to leave the site.

Attorneys for Hassig and Good-Cane-Milk argued that their clients were concerned for the environment and others.

Attorney John Bachman said Good-Cane-Milk and Hassig’s actions of civil disobedience were warranted because they were concerned about the pipeline’s effect on the environment and climate change.

Douglas County Judge Kelly Thimm sentenced Hassig to serve 20 days in jail beginning immediately and also ordered her to pay fines in the amount of $100 each. The judge said Hassig’s actions endangered her and officers, noting jail time was necessary to show her “this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”

Good-Cane-Milk is scheduled for sentencing and restitution in the next couple weeks.

Enbridge has completed construction of Line 3 and it’s now in service. Line 3 transports around 390,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada, to the Enbridge terminal in Wisconsin.

Enbridge is spending around $2.9 billion in the U.S. for its replacement project. The company has said the 1,031-mile replacement pipeline is necessary due to corrosion and cracking within the existing Line 3.