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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Peggy Flanagan (DFL)

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Minnesota House Native American Caucus statement on Enbridge Line 3 EIS

Thursday, August 17, 2017

ST. PAUL, MINN – Today, the Minnesota Department of Commerce released the final Environmental Impact Statement for Enbridge Energy’s proposed Line 3 pipeline replacement in northern Minnesota. Members of the Minnesota House Native American Caucus – Rep. Peggy Flanagan, DFL - St. Louis Park (White Earth Nation), Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, DFL - Roseville (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), Susan Allen, DFL - Minneapolis (Rosebud Sioux) and Mary Kunesh-Podein, DFL - New Brighton (Standing Rock Sioux) – jointly released the following statement:

“The EIS released today makes only nominal mention of this pipeline’s impact on Native American lands and the irreparable harm it could cause to the traditions and way of life for Native people. With the potential for a spill, Line 3 presents a catastrophic threat to the continued vitality of wild rice and fish habitats and once again dismisses the cultural relevance of the lands this new pipeline would violate. Enbridge has failed to adequately address this, and it’s disappointing the EIS has as well.

“With so much at stake for indigenous communities, this is unacceptable. The Public Utilities Commission will next look ahead to determine adequacy of the EIS. With such minimal attention provided to Native people, we fail to see how this document can be considered anything but inadequate.”