Dear Neighbor,
As we move forward on a variety of legislation it’s time to gather additional input on what’s on your mind.
I have created a brief online survey, click here to participate. The survey can also be accessed at my legislative website. The survey touches just a few of the many issues we are dealing with. The option to make additional comments is provided at the end of the survey. Your participation would be greatly appreciated.
Replacing Enbridge Line 3 remains in the news. Our new governor has reached an important decision point. Will he respect the Public Utility Commission’s unanimous decision to approve the replacement of Enbridge’s Line 3? Gov. Walz can make a clean break from our previous governor’s last-ditch attempt to sabotage the replacement of this aging pipeline.
In the final days of Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration the Department of Commerce was allowed to participate in a law suit attempting to overturn the PUC’s unanimous decision approving replacement of Line 3.
For almost a month, I have been quietly trying to work with the governor’s office, urging that it step back from interfering with replacement of Line 3. On Jan. 15, I hand-carried a bipartisan letter to his office, requesting that his administration withdraw from any further participation in that law suit.
That letter was signed by myself and 13 of my northern Minnesota colleagues whose constituents are concerned with further delays in replacing the pipeline. That letter can be found here.
The good news is the court dismissed the case. But it’s not over yet, the dismissal was based on a technical matter related to when the law suit was filed. As part of the dismissal process, Gov. Walz and his administration were provided a brief window in which they may appeal of the court’s decision.
It is decision time for Gov. Walz. After years of intensive environmental review and exhaustive public input the question is will our new governor abide by the PUC’s decision, or will he allow one of his state agencies to continue attempting to obstruct the replacement of this aging pipeline? We are all waiting for an answer.
I will continue to work in a respectful manner with the governor’s office to move the replacement of Line 3 forward.
Please be safe as we wrestle with a bit more of “Old Man Winter.”
Sincerely,
Dale