Enbridge may get the greenlight to begin construction on the Line 3 pipeline this Friday, November 13.
Right now, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency under Governor Tim Walz is deliberating about the final set of permits for the pipeline, and it’s not sounding good. That means we have one more week to make it crystal clear to Minnesota decision makers that approving Line 3 is the wrong choice.
TOGETHER WE WILL STOP LINE 3
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency under Governor Tim Walz is currently deliberating about the final set of permits for the Line 3 pipeline. The decision deadline is this Friday, November 13, and if permits are granted, construction on Line 3 could begin immediately, despite ongoing powerful lawsuits against the project from tribal nations, young people, and climate advocates.
Make sure to follow the Giniw Collective, Honor the Earth, and Stop Line 3 for updates from the frontlines in northern Minnesota.
CALL MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ: 651-201-3400
Say something like:“Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling from ___ to urge Governor Walz to stand with climate science and Indigenous communities by denying the remaining permits for the Line 3 pipeline. This is a huge climate decision that affects all of us, and I’m concerned about the trauma and the COVID impacts of construction to the people of northern Minnesota. People like myself around the country are watching and counting on Governor Walz to deny the permits and not greenlight construction. Thank you.”
Tweet at Governor Walz and Commissioner Bishop: @GovTimWalz @MnPCA @lbishopw | Hashtag: #StopLine3
@GovTimWalz and @lbishopw I urge you to follow the science, the law, and the process, and deny the @MnPCA permits for Line 3. This is the only decision consistent with acting on climate and respecting Native treaty rights. #StopLine3
As Trump’s final days in office count down, let’s not approve his pipe dream. @GovTimWalz @lbishopw stand with science and #StopLine3. Deny the permits.
Post on social media. Download graphics here.
TOGETHER WE WILL STOP LINE 3
Political & Procedural Background
Since 2014, thousands of Minnesotans have shown up at hearings, talked to neighbors, written letters, and organized in their communities to oppose Enbridge’s 3 Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline. Their voices have been lifted up by hundreds of thousands of people and dozens of organizations across the country calling for the cancellation of this massive fossil fuel project. The pipeline would transport more than 760,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to Superior, Wisconsin.
November 14 is the deadline for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to approve or deny the 401 Certifications (water crossing permits) under the Clean Water Act. We expect the decision to be announced on Friday, November 13. The Clean Water Act permits from the MPCA and the Army Corps of Engineers are the final permits Enbridge needs in order to start construction. Meanwhile, there are powerful lawsuits from tribal nations, environmental advocates, youth, and the Minnesota Department of Commerce still playing out (these lawsuits are challenging the Environmental Impact Statement, Certificate of Need and Routing Permit that were previously granted by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission - a decision in which the PUC explicitly denied basic climate science and said treaty rights were irrelevant in order to justify the approval). If the MPCA approves these water crossing permits, construction could begin on a project that is later cancelled by the Court of Appeals. We know that all pipelines leak, that Enbridge has a terrible safety record, that this pipeline would jeopardize the treaty rights of Anishinaabe people across northern Minnesota and endanger sacred wild rice, and would have the climate impact of 50 coal plants.
Check out this opinion editorial laying out how the legal, scientific, and just choice is to deny the permits.
Governor Tim Walz (D) took office in 2019 after serving in the US House of Representatives. He published an opinion editorial in 2019 saying “Minnesota will lead on climate change if Washington won’t.” His running mate, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, is an Anishinaabe woman from the White Earth nation who was outspoken against Line 3 before joining the ticket. Unfortunately, this Governor’s administration has been reluctant to take a stance on Line 3, and we’ve had to push hard to get the bare minimum good process on the pipeline.
Governor Walz, a former member of the National Guard himself, has been harshly critiqued for his use of the National Guard and police brutality during the Minneapolis Uprising this past summer. On November 4, 2020, his state troopers kettled a peaceful family-friendly #CountEveryVote march and mass-arrested nearly 650 people, including parents and children, without giving any dispersal opportunity or chance to leave.