The second video of our People Over Pipelines: Wisconsin Families Working to Protect our Homes and Communities is out!  It features Jule and Lorene Reisner of Ladysmith, Wisconsin.

Jule and Lorene have had to work hard their whole lives to obtain the home they now own.  They bought their property in 1985 and spent the following six years clearing the dense brush and then building their home, which was completed in 1991.

Lorene tells the story of Enbridge’s deceitful and underhanded games, that resulted in the loss of 65 trees for “temporary workspace” that they had promised to spare.

“My husband came home from work one day and was mortified to see trees laying down all over…[The workers had] stayed at the edge of the easement until they were visually passed the corner of the house, and stepped over it and just mowed down every tree that was there.”

Eventually, negotiations completely broke down.  Then one day, a new agent showed up at their door.

“He said, ‘I’m here to settle for your damages related to the pipeline. Tell me what it would take for you to settle.’  Without blinking an eye they wrote a check that night.  It turned out it’s because they had another project planned.”

With the next pipeline, when negotiations broke down, it turned ugly.  Enbridge sent a new, aggressive agent in who stated if they wouldn’t settle,

“We’re gonna take the entire 100 feet [cutting down over 400 trees for temporary workspace] and we’re gonna give you nothing, and we’re not taking out the stumps.”

At the end of the video, Lorene asks if it’s fair they are having to make decisions about their future under the threat of another pipeline. What do you think?

You can sign the petition to the PSC here or watch the other videos in the series here.