Minnesota regulators deny request to stop Line 3 pipeline

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota regulatory panel has denied a request by two northern Minnesota tribes to prevent Enbridge Energy from moving forward with its contentious Line 3 oil pipeline replacement.

The Red Lake and White Earth Bands of Chippewa asked the Public Utilities Commission to stay its order allowing construction, citing pending litigation in the Minnesota Court of Appeals and concerns about COVID-19 spread by construction workers in their communities.

The five-member panel voted 4-1  Friday to deny the motion.

Enbridge broke ground on the $2.6 billion project earlier this week after receiving its final key permit from the state’s pollution control agency.