Minnesota Public Utilities Commission members ignored a lot of voices when they voted to approve the route permit and certificate of need for Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline project (“ Minnesota regulators approve Line 3 — again, ” Feb. 4).
They ignored the voices of Minnesota’s indigenous peoples who objected to another pipeline full of liquid asphalt crossing lands where spills could end their wild rice gathering, hunting, and fishing. They ignored the young people who testified that the millions of gallons of fossil fuels that pass through the pipeline would greatly contribute to climate change, increasing the depths of the climate crisis that they will have to live through. They ignored environmentalists who testified about the depth of destruction to the waters of Minnesota that spills cause. And, finally, they ignored the clear statement by PUC Commissioner Matt Schuerger, who voted “no” to the permits because the actions we need to take to confront the climate crisis will cut the demand for oil, which will mean the Line 3 pipeline won’t be needed.
There are two important voices that we need to hear now. It’s time for Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to take a position on the side of the people fighting to protect Minnesota’s present and future. They can take steps to stop Line 3 pre-construction work, and they can continue legal challenges to the permits. They need to act now.
Jay Lieberman
Minneapolis
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