Grand Rapids Herald Review
Jay Manders
Enbridge plans to spend $2.6 billion to replace Line 3 with state-of-the-art pipeline technology that will dramatically improve the safety of the line. And we’ve spent over tens of thousands of hours to select the most suitable route. That kind of scrutiny pays off. Ray Woulo, principal hydrologist for Barr Engineering, has noted that less than two percent of the lakes along the proposed pipeline route would be susceptible to effects from the project. That’s the result of careful planning.
Grand Rapids, Minnesota (June 6, 2017) – Jobs for Minnesotans today called on representatives from business, labor and the community to voice support for Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Project in advance of a Minnesota Department of Commerce public meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Project.
“The DEIS for Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Project is thorough and complete,” said Nancy Norr, Jobs for Minnesotans board chair and Minnesota Power director of regional development. “We’re here today to voice our resounding support for this Project and let the Minnesota Department of Commerce know that our members support the approval of the Certificate of Need and preferred route applications for the Project.”
The Line 3 Replacement Project has the potential to create 4,200 job opportunities, with approximately half of those local to Minnesota, according to a recent University of Minnesota Duluth study.
“Pipelines and the energy transportation industry in northern Minnesota have a long history of moving energy resources in a responsible and safe manner while also positively enhancing the region’s economy and job market,” said Brian Hanson, Jobs for Minnesotans board member and APEX president and CEO. “There’s no greater act toward preserving the environment than the $7.5 billion in private investment Enbridge has committed to replacing the existing Line 3 using modern materials, designs and construction techniques. Pipelines are the safest and most efficient way to move the energy we all rely upon.”
Norr and Hanson were joined in Grand Rapids by other representatives from business, labor and the community who echoed their support for moving forward expeditiously to permit the Line 3 Replacement Project. Speakers included:
- Ben DeNucci, Mayor of Nashwauk and Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) Board Member
- Derek Pederson, Laborers Local #1091
- Paul Hawkinson, General Manager of Hawkinson Construction
An image of speakers at the press conference is available for download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/l8hnhxyueh4vo4z/J4MN%20Grand%20Rapids%20Press%20Conference_6.6.17.jpg?dl=0 (From left to right: Nancy Norr, Derek Pederson, Paul Hawkinson, Brian Hanson and Ben DeNucci)
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: Meagan Pick
JobsforMinnesotans@gmail.com
Cell: 913.491.6754
Grand Rapids Herald Review
Brian Hanson and Dan Olson
Petroleum products play an important role in our day-to-day lives. They fuel our cars and boats, heat our homes and help create thousands of everyday items like clothes and cell phones. These energy products are required to be transported in a safe and timely way to meet our demands. Here in Minnesota, we rely on crude oil pipelines to do just that. Our pipeline systems, especially in northern Minnesota, have provided reliable and secure transportation of petroleum energy supplies for decades.
Pipelines and the energy transportation industry in northern Minnesota have a long prosperous history of moving energy resources in a responsible and safe manner while also positively enhancing the region’s economy and job market. Now, the responsibility is being handed to us as a community to support this industry that is such an integral part of our region.
St. Paul, Minnesota (May 15, 2017) – Jobs for Minnesotans today shared the following statement in response to the release of the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Program:
“The release of the draft environmental impact statement for the Line 3 Replacement Program is an important milestone for safe energy transportation in our region. We have a common interest with the Department of Commerce and Enbridge in protecting the people, communities and waterways of Minnesota while efficiently delivering the energy our residents and businesses rely on every day. This thorough document is a positive step toward achieving that goal and engaging stakeholders in the regulatory process,” said Nancy Norr, Jobs for Minnesotans board chair and Minnesota Power director of regional development.
“The Line 3 Replacement Program will support more than 1,500 Minnesota construction jobs. These are jobs that sustain families, putting food on the table and creating opportunities for the next generation of our workforce. We’re pleased to be one step closer to realizing these important economic returns,” said Harry Melander, Jobs for Minnesotans co-founder and president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council.
“Enbridge has a safe track record and is a great example of a good corporate citizen. The company is prepared to invest $2.1 billion in Minnesota during the course of this project. These are dollars that will benefit our state’s economy and our people,” said Doug Loon, Jobs for Minnesotans board member and president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
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
nnorr@mnpower.com
Office: 218.723.3905
Cell: 218.590.6978
Reader’s View: Remember, Mining Supports Minnesota Schools
Duluth News Tribune
Michael Cole
In the battle between pro-mining and anti-mining groups, the issues always seem to be jobs and pollution. Forgotten, it seems, is another important issue. That issue is the Permanent School Trust Fund. This fund was created when Minnesota was granted statehood and is part of the Minnesota state constitution. The idea was to have a permanent fund to help public schools with funding, the payments based on a per-pupil formula for each public school district in Minnesota.