Enbridge says Line 3 replacement complete, opens Friday
Enbridge says the upgrade and expansion of its Line 3 pipeline across Minnesota is complete and will become operational on Friday.
The Canadian-based company’s President and CEO Al Monaco said in a statement Wednesday that the pipeline “will soon deliver the low-cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day.”
The project was completed despite stiff opposition from tribes, environmentalists and others that the 1,097-mile pipeline violated treaty rights, would worsen climate change and would risk spills.
"It’s a really tragic day in northern Minnesota as Enbridge prepares to go towards oil," pipeline opponent Winona LaDuke, of Honor the Earth, said. "Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline is a crime."
She says opponents plan to continue challenging the pipeline in federal court.

In this June 29, 2018 file photo, workers are visible at the Superior terminal of Enbridge Energy in Superior, Wis. Enbridge says the upgrade and expansion of its Line 3 pipeline across Minnesota is complete and will become operational on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. The Canadian-based company's President and CEO Al Monaco said in a statement Wednesday that the pipeline “will soon deliver the low-cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day.”[AP Photo/Jim Mone File]
Enbridge said it was necessary to replace and expand a deteriorating pipeline built in the 1960s.
The line starts in Alberta, Canada, before crossing North Dakota and Minnesota en route to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin.