To the editor:
Some good news this week for a logging company that was attacked by ecoterrorists near Cloquet last year. Scheff Logging & Trucking announced they have filed a lawsuit against a group of environmental activists that vandalized one of their work sites, as well as the organizations responsible for training and funding them.
In February, a small group of individuals opposed to the Line 3 Pipeline vandalized the site just north of Cloquet, within the Fond Du Lac Reservation. The individuals tore out wiring; cut vehicle hydraulic lines; poured sand, water, and glue into equipment; damaged dashboards, drive trains, and oil reservoirs; and more. The attack resulted in more than $100,000 in damages. For a small, family-owned business, that hurts.
Here’s the kicker: Scheff Logging was working on a project for the county — they had absolutely nothing to do with Line 3.
This is not the first incident of ecoterrorism perpetrated by these individuals. Previously, the gang vandalized a job site in Carlton County using the same playbook.
Ecoterrorists have been responsible for a number of similar attacks in recent year. The victims are not nameless, faceless corporations. They are regular people trying to make their way. They are families with children. They are our friends and members of our communities.
I am thrilled that Scheff Logging is taking this civil action. Reasonable people can and should debate the merits of pipelines, but ecoterrorism must be punished and deterred using every available legal avenue. Companies and workers shouldn’t have to do their jobs in fear.
Sincerely,