Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
St. Paul, MN -- Today, Minnesotans marched and rallied outside the State Capitol to voice their opposition to the controversial proposed Enbridge Line 3 tar sands pipeline expansion.
Pipeline opponents gathered in St. Paul as a judge held the only hearing to be held in the Twin Cities asking the public to weigh in on two key permits for the project: the Certificate of Need and Route Permit. The Minnesota Department of Commerce recently submitted testimony recommending that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) not allow Enbridge to move forward with the project, and now the PUC will accept public comments over the next few months.
Speakers at today’s rally expressed concerns about the project’s risks to Minnesota’s clean water, wildlife, and local communities, and urged Governor Mark Dayton to oppose it.
“We call on Governor Dayton and the PUC to act in Minnesota’s best interest and prevent more dirty tar sands from running through our state,” said Margaret Levin, State Director for the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. “If built, this pipeline would threaten Minnesota’s precious lands, water, climate, and Indigenous treaty-protected rights. That’s why thousands of Minnesotans have raised their voices and urged our state government to reject this pipeline once and for all.”
“It is time to walk the walk when it comes to protecting Minnesota's water and our children's future,” said Minnesota State Representative Jamie Becker Finn. “We must focus on moving forward towards renewable energy, not doubling down on risky oil pipelines.”
Sarah Holst, a seminarian and artist from Duluth, said, “I am standing against Line 3 as a Catholic faith leader as an act of reparation for the Doctrine of Discovery and the many instances when the Church has contributed to genocide and ecocide. I take responsibility for my tradition by joining my voice with the outcry of indigenous leaders and putting my heart and body on the side of healing and hope.”
The rally was attended by representatives from the Sierra Club North Star Chapter, Climate Generation, Honor the Earth, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Minnesota Rising, MN350, Power Shift Network, Sunrise Movement, Young People’s Action Coalition, and Youth Climate Intervenors, as well as over 1,000 community members who oppose the proposed Enbridge Line 3 project.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.