Dear Neighbor,
Good news this week from the Minnesota Appeals Court which denied a request to stop construction of Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project. Despite continued desperate, unsafe and illegal acts to stop this project, construction continues to proceed in strict accordance with detailed environmental safety and protective measures in place for this project.
The project is currently employing over 5,000 individuals across northern Minnesota. Our law enforcement personnel are working around the clock to keep the workers safe. However, there continue to be troubling incidents of illegal entry and criminal tampering with pipeline equipment on the construction site. This criminal activity endangers the perpetrators themselves, as well the construction workers and our law enforcement personnel.
I commend our community for tolerating the presence of outsiders that continue to attempt to disrupt this project. Please ignore their efforts to provoke a response. If you become aware of a situation that appears improper, contact law enforcement and let them handle it.
Our current frigid temperatures highlight the importance of Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program. Assistance is available to income eligible households (both owners and renters) as follows:
- Payment of past due energy bills to avoid disconnection
- Purchase fuel for delivery in emergencies
- Repair or replacement of malfunctioning furnaces
The application period is open until May 31 this year and you can find more information and links to apply at the Department of Commerce website.
The state’s Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program continues to build out rural internet service into unserved and underserved areas in Minnesota. The following grants were recently awarded in the Crow Wing, Mille Lacs and Aitkin county areas:
- Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) – GRANT $350,805. Project will serve approximately 180 unserved locations in a portion of Ross Lake Township in Crow Wing County.
- Crosslake Communications – GRANT $618,970. The O’Brien/Goodrich Lake Fiber Project will serve approximately 232 unserved households in Crow Wing County.
- Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative – GRANT $198,607. This project will serve 80 unserved and five underserved locations along the southeast side of Farm Island Lake in Aitkin County.
- Savage Communications Inc. – GRANT $70,261. This project will serve 102 unserved households within the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation in Mille Lacs County.
I have co-authored bi-partisan legislation that will provide continued support for this important program. More info on this program can be found here.
Please be safe and considerate of others.
Sincerely,
Dale