St. Paul, Minn. (June 18, 2019) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement following the State of Minnesota’s announcement today regarding adjusting the permitting timeline for Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Project. The timeline adjustment is in response to the Minnesota Court of Appeals opinion earlier this month:
“Jobs for Minnesotans calls upon the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) in conjunction with all involved state agencies to work expeditiously through the final steps of the review process and move the Line 3 Replacement Project forward to construction. The Line 3 Project has already been the most thoroughly reviewed project in the State of Minnesota’s history. As supporters of this project, we know there will be efforts to delay this project even further and we encourage the state to focus on the narrow review ordered by the Minnesota Court of Appeals to prevent more delays.
“Communities across Minnesota are waiting with urgency, not just for the $2.6 billion investment in the state’s energy infrastructure, but also to protect the environment which is progressively more at risk as this review process continues. The critical Line 3 Project will replace an aging pipeline on which the state relies for energy security and economic competitiveness.
“We firmly believe replacing Line 3 is in the state’s best interest and stand behind the continuous unanimous approval of the Line 3 Replacement Project Certificate of Need by the MPUC. The Project will provide quality jobs to more than 6,500 Minnesota workers including 2,100 family-sustaining construction jobs, and bring Minnesota tradespeople back home to work.”
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.
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Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
Cell: 218.590.6978