St. Paul, Minn. (November 30, 2020) – Today, after six years of rigorous and thorough scientific regulatory review, the Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Project received the final permit clearing the path for construction to begin. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued the storm water permit representing the final step to full regulatory approval.
“Today is nothing short of a triumph for what we’ve been fighting for all along – a predictable, fair and thorough regulatory process in the state of Minnesota,” said Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “This is the right time with the right environmental protections for Enbridge’s $2.6 billion private investment in our state.”
Jobs for Minnesotans and its members commend Governor Walz, the dedicated MPCA, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioners and agency professionals for fulfilling their responsibility to Minnesotans. And, for approving the best option to protect our communities and environment replacing an aging pipeline on which the state relies.
“As the most thoroughly reviewed project in Minnesota’s history, it’s time for this project to be built and bring the much needed 4,200 union construction jobs to greater Minnesota,” said Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Construction and Building Trades Council. “We now call on all Minnesotans to support a safe and respectful work environment for the communities along the corridor and construction workers as this project is built.”
The Line 3 Replacement Project has been reviewed by multiple state and federal agencies. Enbridge has also collaborated and signed agreements with tribal governments along the right-of-way including Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Additionally, to minimize transmissions of COVID-19 during construction, Enbridge has also submitted a comprehensive COVID preparedness plan to the Minnesota Department of Health aligning with its deep commitment to protecting the health and safety of its employees, contractors and the public.
The Line 3 project will bring a $2.6 billion investment in the state’s energy infrastructure and 6,500 local jobs over the course of construction. This comes at a time where unemployment rates along the corridor of the project’s route are still painfully high and average annual incomes fall well below the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area even in a normal economy. Most importantly, the project is needed to replace an aging pipeline and protect Minnesota’s environment for generations.
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 70,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 members and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (November 12, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement in response to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) issuing its remaining eight permits and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issuing the 401 Water Quality Certification for the Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Project:
“Today is an exciting day for Jobs for Minnesotans and all supporters of responsible industry in the state. We commend the MPCA and MDNR for the thorough review of the Line 3 Replacement Project and adhering to timelines set earlier this year. We thank the dedicated agency professionals for their responsibility to Minnesotans. And, for approving the best option to protect our communities and environment replacing an aging pipeline on which the state relies.
“Today’s news paves the way for all remaining permits to be issued and for the Line 3 project to begin construction soon. Jobs for Minnesotans now looks forward to supporting a safe and respectful work environment for the communities along the corridor and for construction workers as this project moves into the construction phase.
“We encourage all Minnesotans to accept the sound agency decisions based on an expansive scientific record and the fact that the project has proven it will meet and, when possible, exceed regulations as outlined by law. It’s time we come together as a state to advance this critical $2.6 billion dollar private investment in Minnesota’s energy infrastructure.
“While unemployment rates along the corridor of the Line 3 route are still above 20 percent, the project will create timely and impactful investment in and bring thousands of jobs to northern Minnesota communities feeling deep economic disparities right now and enhance the safety of our environment for generations to come.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (October 16, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement in response to the report released today by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) regarding the Line 3 Replacement Project’s 401 water certification permit to be issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA):
“This report confirms it’s time to permit the Line 3 Replacement Project and proceed with construction without further delay. We now urge the MPCA Commissioner to issue the 401 water certification permit based on the sound ALJ opinion that the selected route is the best option to protect Minnesota’s communities and environment.
We strongly stand behind the extensive six-year scientific record of the Line 3 Replacement Project. This project is the most thoroughly reviewed in Minnesota history and it’s time we come together as a state to advance this critical $2.6 billion dollar private investment in Minnesota’s energy infrastructure.
We now call on all involved agencies, in addition to the MPCA, to move expeditiously to issue permits so our skilled tradespeople can get to work replacing an aging pipeline on which the state relies for energy security and economic competitiveness.
Today’s news brings us closer to putting thousands of skilled tradespeople to work here at home in Minnesota. The project will create impactful investment in northeastern Minnesota communities feeling deep economic disparities right now and enhance the safety of our environment for generations to come.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
October 14, 2020 – Jobs for Minnesotans along with its business, labor and community members submitted the following letter last month to elected Minnesota leaders imploring them to urgently pass a bonding bill to address critical projects across the state. View the full letter submitted last month below:
Court Deems PolyMet Water Permit Issued Within Standard Procedures
St. Paul, Minn. (September 4, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the below statement following yesterday’s Ramsey County District Court ruling regarding PolyMet’s Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) water quality permit procedures. The ruling found no irregularities in the MPCA procedure that issued the PolyMet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit on Dec. 20, 2018:
“We are happy to see the Court reject allegations of efforts to keep evidence out of the record. The ruling is a positive step forward for the PolyMet project after now 15 years of regulatory review. While the project is currently in the expected litigation phase and has outstanding court challenges, Jobs for Minnesotans firmly stands behind the project’s record and the dedicated MPCA professionals who spent years evaluating this project. We are confident PolyMet’s NPDES permit will be upheld by all courts.”
“The PolyMet project will help bring recovery to a region that is experiencing severe economic disparities and the highest unemployment rates in the state. The project is expected to provide 360 family-sustaining jobs and generate an estimated $515 million annually.
“The project will also help power growth of a more diverse regional and statewide economy as the first company to mine essential metals from the world-class Duluth Complex. The metals that will be safely and responsibly mined are critical not only to an expanding green economy, but also to the infrastructures we have in place for reliable power and broadband communications networks.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (August 18, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement in response to the Minnesota Department of Commerce (MDOC) decision to appeal the Line 3 Replacement Project Certificate of Need issued by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). The MDOC announced it will file the appeal on Wednesday, August 19:
“Jobs for Minnesotans is deeply disappointed by the MDOC’s decision to appeal the Line 3 Replacement Project’s Certificate of Need issued by the MPUC, an agency within the same governing administration. We firmly stand behind the dedicated MPUC Commissioners who have approved the Certificate of Need time after time and have spent the last several years diligently reviewing the project’s record.
“In this unprecedented time with limited state resources, this appeal is extremely wasteful, circumvents the state’s regulatory process and contradicts Governor Walz’s own words. Today’s decision undermines the thorough regulatory review process that has lasted for more than six years.
“As a 60-year-old piece of infrastructure, the safest option for our state, our communities and our environment is replacement. We are confounded that the MDOC would appeal the need for this critical infrastructure project further and we firmly stand behind the need for Line 3, the most thoroughly reviewed project in Minnesota’s history.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (June 30, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement regarding the announcement that the Bureau of Land Management has issued the Notice of Intent (NOI) for the Twin Metals Minnesota project:
“Jobs for Minnesotans welcomes today’s announcement by the Bureau of Land Management on the Twin Metals Minnesota project. The issuance of the NOI is an expected and promising step forward that marks the beginning of the scoping process for the project’s multi-year federal Environmental Impact Statement.
As part of this process, Twin Metals will need to prove it can meet or positively exceed federal and state standards for environmental protection to earn the right to mine. While this announcement clears the first of many hurdles in the federal process, it is separate from the state regulatory process. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is leading the state review process that will assure the project will meet the strict standards in place to protect human health, water quality and the environment.
The upcoming public scoping process allows for all voices to be heard, and we look forward to providing our input on the Twin Metals project. We are confident that both the federal and state environmental review processes—grounded in science, informed by public engagement and carried out by dedicated public officials —will effectively review all aspects of the project and determine whether the project should be permitted.
Twin Metals’ proposed mine has the potential to help revitalize the economy of northeastern Minnesota by creating more than 750 high-wage, family-sustaining mining jobs plus 1,500 spinoff jobs in the region. And, it will provide strategic minerals critical to the medical industry, broadband communications technology and the transition to a green economy.
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (June 25, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement in response to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) decision to reject the reconsideration petitions and uphold the Line 3 Replacement Project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Route Permit and Certificate of Need today:
“Jobs for Minnesotans firmly stands behind the MPUC decision today to uphold the approval of the Line 3 Replacement Project’s EIS, Route Permit and Certificate of Need yet again. We now call on the state of Minnesota and involved agencies to accept the MPUCs decision so our skilled tradespeople can get to work without further delay replacing an aging pipeline on which the state relies for energy security and economic competitiveness. Communities along the pipeline corridor are waiting for both the environmental and economic benefits represented by this private investment.
“This project is the most thoroughly reviewed in Minnesota history. While those opposed to the project have taken the regulatory process and state resources to new lengths in order to delay the project, it’s time we come together as a state to advance this critical $2.6 billion dollar private investment in Minnesota’s energy infrastructure.
“While Line 3 is still under the court appeal phase, we appreciate that this advancement in the process brings us closer to putting thousands of skilled tradespeople to work here at home in Minnesota. The project will create impactful investment in northeastern Minnesota communities feeling deep economic disparities right now and enhance the safety of our environment for generations to come.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (June 16, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans today released the following statement addressing the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to review March’s Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling on the air permit for the PolyMet NorthMet Project:
“Jobs for Minnesotans is encouraged by today’s announcement that the Minnesota Supreme Court is reviewing the ruling on the PolyMet air permit from earlier this year. Also petitioned by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the ruling negates the role of the legislature and the state agencies’ expertise and ability to do its work and make decisions. While we acknowledge the right and expected litigation phase of the regulatory process, this ruling puts the decision making into the court’s hands instead of the career agency professionals and elected representatives of our government.
“We are confident this project should move forward and the more than 15 years of thorough environmental review by state and federal agencies should be upheld. The metals that will be safely and responsibly mined are critical not only to an expanding green economy, but also to the infrastructure we have in place for reliable power and broadband communications networks.
“Projects like PolyMet will help bring economic prosperity to a region that is experiencing severe economic disparities. The project will provide approximately 360 family-supporting jobs to northeastern Minnesota communities and generate an estimated $515 million annually. It would help power growth of a more diverse regional and statewide economy as the first company to mine essential metals from the world-class Duluth Complex.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978
St. Paul, Minn. (June 3, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans today released the following statement following the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s decision to hold contested case hearings for the Line 3 Replacement Project 401 certification:
“We are dismayed by today’s MPCA decision to conduct a contested case process for the Line 3 Replacement Project 401 certification. This decision delays the permitting process for a project that will protect the environment, which is progressively more at risk as this review process continues. We recognize that the MPCA made this decision given the recent Court of Appeals ruling on PolyMet, a ruling that is up for review in the Minnesota Supreme Court.
“Line 3 is the most thoroughly reviewed project in Minnesota’s history. Communities across Minnesota are waiting with urgency to put thousands of skilled tradespeople to work and for the $2.6 billion investment in the state’s energy infrastructure. This privately funded project will provide a significant economic stimulus for Greater Minnesota that is needed now more than ever.
“We encourage our allies in business, labor and communities who believe this project is right for Minnesota to remain engaged and resilient, and we ask that the MPCA and the Office of Administrative Hearings be efficient and keep the process laser focused on the narrow issues addressed in today’s agency decision.”
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978