Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Opposition Asking Biden to Stop Project
By Maddy McCarty, P&GJ Digital Editor
Opponents to Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement oil pipeline are urging President Joe Biden to stop the project, leading some to compare it to Keystone XL.
Protesters clashed with police outside a federal courthouse in Portland last week, according to video obtained by Spectee, and police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse them.
The number of protesters is small but growing, CNN reported, “driven by ancient prophesy and the promises of a new President.” Native American tribe members and environmentalists were inspired by Biden canceling Keystone XL right after taking office and believe Biden might take their side against Line 3, according to the CNN article.
Line 3 is a 1,097-mile crude oil pipeline that stretches from Alberta to Wisconsin, according to Enbridge. It was built in the 1960s and Enbridge wants to replace it to maintain safety standards, reduce future maintenance and create fewer disruptions to the landowners and environment, the company says.
The $2.9 billion U.S. portion of the project would replace 337 miles in Minnesota, 14 miles in Wisconsin and 13 miles in North Dakota, according to Enbridge. The Wisconsin and North Dakota portions are complete, and Enbridge began construction in Minnesota in December.
The replacement pipeline includes new sections and added capacity, CNN reported.
In February, a federal judge and the Minnesota Court of Appeals separately rejected attempts by tribal and environmental groups to stop construction, the judge noting the groups failed to prove any permanent harm would come from the work.
This month, a Stop Line 3 organization sent a letter to Biden with 374 signatures asking him to “direct the Army Corps of Engineers to immediately reevaluate and suspend or revoke the Line 3 project’s Clean Water Act Section 404 permit,” citing risks of oil spills, climate change and impacts on Indigenous people.
Actress and activist Jane Fonda announced Sunday that she had arrived in Northern Minnesota with friends the Ojibwe Water Protectors to protest the pipeline project.
"Line 3 is not like the Keystone XL pipeline," CNN reported Enbridge Chief Communications Officer Mike Fernandez said. "It already exists. And it already is an energy lifeline for literally millions of people in the US and in Canada. And the reality is, even as we see great growth in renewables, we're still going to need some fossil fuels 40 years to come."
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