An appeal filed late Tuesday by the state Commerce Department has touched off another legal round over Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 pipeline across northern Minnesota. Walz administration officials say the state Public Utilities Commission didn’t consider whether there’s sufficient demand to upgrade the existing pipeline. House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt responds the governor has “once again chosen to obstruct and delay this critical project and the thousands of jobs it would bring to Northern Minnesota.” The group Jobs for Minnesotans says the appeal “undermines the thorough regulatory review process that has lasted for more than six years.”
Meanwhile, Line 3 opponents filed their own lawsuit challenging the P-U-C’s approval of permits for the project. Sierra Club North Star Chapter’s Margaret Levin says the commission’s “bad decision — ignoring state’s agencies’ recommendations, and based on a faulty process — would be devastating for Minnesota’s clean water and communities.”