Minnesota Court of Appeals Affirms Approval of Line 3 Pipeline Replacement, Necessary to Modernize the Deteriorating Existing Pipeline

June 14, 2021

Today, the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed state regulators’ key approvals of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 pipeline replacement project.

The Associated Press reports:

A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the state’s independent Public Utilities Commission correctly granted Enbridge the certificate of need and route permit that the Canadian-based company needed to begin construction on the 337-mile (542-kilometer) Minnesota segment of a larger project to replace a 1960s-era crude oil pipeline that has been deteriorating and can run at only half capacity.

The ever-apparent hypocrisy of the eco-left shined through as the dispute drew over 1,00 protesters to northern Minnesota last week. Following the approval, they immediately urged their climate movement puppet President Joe Biden to intervene, as he did with the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office.

The irony of all of this is that this project would be to reinforce the deteriorating infrastructure of the 1960s-era crude oil pipeline, making it safer to transport crude oil through the existing pipeline. If Biden has learned anything from his poor decision on canceling the Keystone Pipeline, it is that we need energy infrastructure in this country.

[Enbridge said in a statement] “Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review including 70 public comment meetings, appellate review and reaffirmation of a 13,500-page (environmental impact statement), four separate reviews by administrative law judges, 320 route modifications in response to stakeholder input, and multiple reviews and approvals by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the project’s certificate of need and route permit.”

…

Calgary-based Enbridge says the replacement Line 3 will be made of stronger steel and will better protect the environment while restoring its capacity to carry oil and ensure reliable deliveries to U.S. refineries. It underwent a rigorous environmental permitting process. The old line currently runs at about half its capacity because it’s increasingly subject to corrosion and cracking.

Following the recent cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, it is even more apparent how vital it is to modernize our existing energy infrastructure. Especially when the energy infrastructure is deteriorating, and replacement is necessary to safely transport oil in order to protect the environment.