Ignoring Public Outcry, MN PUC Doubles Down on Line 3 Pipeline Approval

St. Paul, MN -- Today, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted to reject motions to reconsider its approval of Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 tar sands pipeline. The PUC also approved several conditions for granting the certificate of need for Line 3, including allowing Enbridge to get insurance to cover spills only after the pipeline is constructed, rather than having other financial assurances up front.

Local activists walked out of the meeting in protest, and delivered the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the need to act on climate to Governor-Elect Tim Walz. The pipeline has generated enormous controversy and public opposition among Minnesotans. If built, Line 3 would run through critical water resources, putting them at risk of tar sands spills and threatening the sovereignty and way of life of local tribes.

“With their approval of Line 3, the PUC is ignoring serious threats to Minnesota’s clean water and the wishes of the communities that would be directly affected by this dirty tar sands pipeline,” said Margaret Levin, director of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. “It’s long past time for Governor Dayton to step in and put a stop to this project once and for all.”

"By omitting any discussion of treaty rights and denying basic climate science, the PUC has written off several intervening parties in this case, including the Youth Climate Intervenors," said Sarah Harper, one of the Youth Climate Intervenors. "We are appealing because we have taken the responsibility for speaking for youth, and as an entire generation we refuse to be ignored."

“Although Honor the Earth filed a motion in August that would allow the public access to the parts of Enbridge’s insurance policies related to oil spills, the public has not yet been allowed to see these policies,” said Winona LaDuke, Executive Director of Honor the Earth. “It has been very clear that state agencies like the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Administrative Law Judge are not in favor of these permits, yet their recommendations were overruled in a rogue decision by the PUC. Five people should not be making a decision of this magnitude. We reject the PUC approval of the Line 3 project on the grounds that it is financially, morally, and politically imprudent.”  

“People of faith across Minnesota stand opposed to this pipeline because it is our moral calling to protect God’s creation,” said Julia Nerbonne, Director of Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, which represents more than 550 faith leaders in saying no to Line 3. “We understand the science that shows that on our current path 50% of the species on planet Earth could go extinct within this century. The poorest among us will be hit first and worst by climate chaos. Minnesotans will not benefit from this pipeline, but they will be responsible for the impacts.”