This article by Matt Rothschild was published on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s website on June 28, 2019.

A brief commentary by Community Rights US media team member Curt Hubatch: Reading this article was like a kick in the gut for me this morning. One of the hopes in the community rights movement is for citizens to educate themselves, form citizen majorities, and enact and enforce local laws that protect their health, safety, and welfare. A majority of educated citizens will form with the vision of a sustainable community for their children and grandchildren in mind. They put the time, effort and money into organizing a successful campaign. Anybody who has ever done any type of organizing knows this is grueling work. You’re up against corporate money and lies that would make anyone’s head spin. Despite this the community holds firm and says “no” to any further oil pipeline development or proposed unsustainable project in their community. They operate under the principle that it’s our right as free and self-governing people to write this into law. They know this is woven into the American Mind going all the way back to the American Revolution.

And then you read about the highest court in Wisconsin ruling that a county doesn’t even have the governing authority to require a multinational corporation to carry the proper insurance to clean up their mess. Perhaps I was expecting too much from the Supreme Court. Here is the news story.

The conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Enbridge pipeline company in a case that highlights how powerful corporate interests prevail in Wisconsin – and how bankrupt our high court is in Wisconsin.

The case is called Enbridge Energy Co., Inc., v. Dane County.

Here’s the background. In 2015, Dane County required Enbridge to get an extra $25 million liability insurance policy in exchange for a permit to build a pump station that would expand the amount of oil the company pumps through its pipeline that runs through the northeast corner of the county.

A few months later, the Republican-dominated Joint Finance Committee pushed through a provision in the budget that said local governments can’t do that if a company already carried general liability insurance coverage for “sudden and accidental” spills.

Enbridge sued Dane County to strip the requirement from the permit.

(Read the rest of this article by Matt Rothschild HERE.)