Line 3 Protesters Rally at Enbridge’s Bemidji Office

Protesters say that six members of their group chained themselves to a gate early Monday.

BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) _ Dozens of people rallied outside the Bemidji office of Enbridge Energy to protest the company’s proposed Line 3 oil pipeline replacement.

Protesters say that six members of their group chained themselves to a gate early Monday. Enbridge’s Bemidji office closed for the day.

Enbridge spokeswoman Juli Kellner says that over the weekend, a vehicle drove through a locked gate at a pipe storage yard in Hubbard County. It’s unknown if that’s related to the protest.

Bemidji police did not immediately return a message seeking information.

The $2.6 billion replacement pipeline would carry Canadian crude from Alberta across northern Minnesota to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. Enbridge says the current Line 3, which was built in the 1960s, is subject to corrosion and cracking.

Environmental and tribal groups say the project risks oil spills in pristine areas of the Mississippi River headwaters region.