WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday and Saturday, U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Cori Bush (D-MO), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) will reportedly visit Minnesota to protest the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project.
In response, U.S. Reps. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Tom Emmer (R-MN) issued the following statement:
"Even after a litany of court decisions affirming the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project, and even with construction more than 90 percent complete, the misguided push to stop the pipeline using any means possible continues. The multi-billion-dollar pipeline project is the most studied of its kind in Minnesota; a visit by a few out-of-town congresswomen isn’t going to stop it.
"Instead, they seek soundbites. They say it’s about the impacts of the pipeline on Indigenous people, but they have not met with the many Native American contractors who are currently on-site assembling the pipeline. They say it’s about tribal sovereignty, but they fail to note the agreements reached with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. They say it’s about people, but they have not engaged with the cities, counties, and local businesses that have already benefited from the project.
"People in Minnesota support Line 3 because Line 3 supports Minnesota’s energy needs."
The Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project aims to replace an existing, deteriorating crude oil pipeline that extends from Edmonton, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin. Construction began on the 337-mile Minnesota portion of the replacement pipeline in December 2020 and is more than 90 percent completed. The project, which is the largest privately financed construction project in state history, supports thousands of skilled labor jobs across northern Minnesota and is expected to bring more than $160 million in construction-related revenue to communities near the pipeline’s route. The new pipeline will also contribute an additional $35 million in property taxes the first year it is fully in service, which will support schools, fund essential services, and help protect the environment.
