ST. PAUL – Rep. Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, was among 76 legislators from the Minnesota House and Senate who sent a bipartisan letter to Gov. Tim Walz on Friday, urging him to support the Line 3 replacement pipeline project, and to drop state-backed legal challenges to the unanimous decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to grant the certificate of need for the project.
“The way I look at it, this issue is sitting on a tee for the governor, just waiting for him to hit a home run barely a month after he took office,” Kresha said. “I mean, he doesn’t have to do a single thing to claim a victory. Just let the extreme partisanship of the previous governor and his administration fade away and let a new era emerge. Gov. Walz even has unanimous support from the experts at the PUC backing him, so it really should be a simple decision to drop this case and let common sense prevail.”
Earlier this week, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed appeals from various environmental groups and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. As a result, the Walz administration must decide whether to re-file a petition for reconsideration, the first step toward any potential appeal. That decision must be made by Tuesday.
-30-