Delays continue to plague the much-needed replacement of Enbridge Line 3.  In February, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a draft Water Quality Certificate permit for the Line 3 Replacement Project. Following another public comment period, the MPCA announced that it would conduct a contested case hearing regarding the 401 permit as requested by various environmental groups.

When it starts, this project will update the aging pipeline currently used to transport oil in a much safer and more efficient manner. The MPCA vetted every possible opinion on this permit well before the most recent comment period. The open discussion between agencies and the public has been ongoing for over five years. The agency will now have to assign an Administrative Law Judge and extend the waiting period to break ground.

More vetting will not provide more answers. The filings for reconsideration of the project offer nothing new to the process, which the Public Utilities Commission has already examined with extreme thoroughness for years.

Minnesota is not only in desperate need of a safe pipeline but in urgent need of an economic boost. Over 4,200 workers will be put into action when the work begins on this 2.6 billion-dollar private investment. Thousands of Minnesotans have been laid off and applied for unemployment due to COVID-19 restrictions and business closures; now is the perfect time to act on this project. It has been shovel-ready for quite some time and can provide financial freedom to families who have been negatively impacted by enforced closures.

There is no excuse for further delays. What needed to be discussed has already been discussed at length. The people of Minnesota need a safe pipeline to fulfill the energy needs of this state and others for years to come.