State Representative Pat Garofalo, a Republican from Farmington who chairs a key House committee, says it’s time for the Public Utilities Commission to approve Enbridge’s proposed upgrade of their Line Three pipeline — that after regulators canceled Thursday’s public hearings in Saint Cloud because of safety concerns over possible protests. Garofalo says, “My concern is that the same group of people who are going out and shutting down freeways and shutting down airports are now shutting down public hearings ’cause they don’t like what the public has to say.”
Opponents of Line Three say at some hearings Enbridge employees have had more opportunity to speak than those who are against the pipeline. The state Commerce Department says the pipeline isn’t necessary. Republicans accuse the Dayton administration of playing politics with the issue.