ST. PAUL, MN—On Friday, 76 legislators from the Minnesota House and Senate sent a bipartisan letter to Governor Tim Walz urging support for the Line 3 replacement pipeline project, and to drop state-backed legal challenges to the unanimous decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to grant the certificate of need for the project.
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 next Tuesday, February 12.
"Those of us in Northern Minnesota have waited long enough," said Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook. "It's long past time for the governor's office to get out of the way and let the Line 3 project move forward. This project has cleared every environmental hurdle put in front of it, will bring much-needed jobs to our area, and the pipeline is the safest way to move oil to market. Let's get it done."
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