It’s expected the state Public Utilities Commission this morning (930am start) will approve route permits for Enbridge’s controversial Line 3 pipeline upgrade through northern Minnesota. Winona LaDuke with Honor the Earth says, “We’re gonna file lawsuits. We’re gonna file appeals on the process, because we think that the P-U-C has acted irresponsibly for the people of Minnesota, has put us at high risk.” Governor Mark Dayton said the P-U-C “chose to evade the very legitimate concerns” raised by the state Commerce Department. But Dayton leaves office in early January, and incoming Governor Tim Walz said before the election he was satisfied with the P-U-C’s earlier decision to let the Enbridge Line 3 upgrade move forward.
LaDuke points to courts halting five other pipeline projects in North America last year — including an Enbridge line. “Where regulatory agencies failed, the court seemed to hold for the people and for the land and the water,” she says. Backers respond the Line 3 project has seen rigorous environmental review and will bring thousands of jobs to northern Minnesota.