Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org, 914-261-4626
St. Paul, MN -- Today, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued orders on the controversial Line 3 tar sands pipeline deeming their latest environmental impact statement adequate, despite the fact that it downplayed the risks to Minnesota’s water resources, and reissued the certificate of need and route permit for the pipeline.
Demand for oil is currently at an unprecedented low. Oil prices are not expected to rebound any time soon, with the high-cost Canadian tar sands that would run through Line 3 being hit the hardest.
In response, Sierra Club North Star Chapter Director Margaret Levin released the following statement:
“The PUC refuses to acknowledge the reality that Line 3 would pose a devastating risk to Minnesota’s communities and clean water, all to deliver oil we don’t need. We’re urging them to reconsider. If they don’t, we’ll see them in court.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.