|
About Us...
Friends of the Headwaters (FOH) is a local citizens' group organized in 2014 to inform the public about pipeline risks, challenge Minnesota's oil pipeline permitting process, and question the need for new Enbridge oil pipelines in northern Minnesota. The Line 3 pipeline (renamed Line 93) is a tar sands oil pipeline, constructed on a water-rich route through Hubbard, Clearwater, Cass, Aitkin, and Carlton Counties. This pipeline route jeopardizes some of northern Minnesota's most precious resources--- Itasca State Park, the Mississippi River, our clean lakes and trout streams, our aquifers, our forests and wildlife. An all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization, Friends of the Headwaters doesn't fund salaried staff, rented offices, media events, or peripheral agendas. Our focus during the last ten years: developing the educational and legal strategies that would stop the Sandpiper pipeline and dispute Line 3's approval in hearings, agencies, and courts. |
|
This pipeline route jeopardizes Minnesota's natural resources:
The maps below clearly show how Enbridge's Line 3, renamed Line 93, pipeline route traverses our best quality lakes, rivers and wetlands.
The maps below clearly show how Enbridge's Line 3, renamed Line 93, pipeline route traverses our best quality lakes, rivers and wetlands.
Some facts about the Enbridge Pipeline Line 3, renamed Line 93, in Minnesota
What is the Line 3 Pipeline, renamed Line 93 Pipeline?
At a cost of $7.5 billion, Line 3, renamed Line 93, is the largest project in Enbridge’s history, and is now one of the largest crude oil pipelines in the continent, carrying up to 760,000 barrels toxic, Alberta tar sand oil PER DAY. Enbridge calls this project a “replacement” because they already have a Line 3 pipeline in their mainline corridor, which transects Northern Minnesota with 6 pipelines in it. But don’t be fooled – this is a new pipeline. The new pipe is larger (36” instead of 34”), carries nearly twice the volume of oil, and established an entirely new corridor through Northern Minnesota. That is NOT a replacement. This route is the same one Enbridge had earlier proposed for the "Sandpiper", a 30" pipeline that would carry 375,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota across Minnesota, through Hubbard County to Superior Wisconsin. The Sandpiper pipeline proposal was withdrawn by Enbridge in August of 2016.
What is the Line 3 Pipeline, renamed Line 93 Pipeline?
At a cost of $7.5 billion, Line 3, renamed Line 93, is the largest project in Enbridge’s history, and is now one of the largest crude oil pipelines in the continent, carrying up to 760,000 barrels toxic, Alberta tar sand oil PER DAY. Enbridge calls this project a “replacement” because they already have a Line 3 pipeline in their mainline corridor, which transects Northern Minnesota with 6 pipelines in it. But don’t be fooled – this is a new pipeline. The new pipe is larger (36” instead of 34”), carries nearly twice the volume of oil, and established an entirely new corridor through Northern Minnesota. That is NOT a replacement. This route is the same one Enbridge had earlier proposed for the "Sandpiper", a 30" pipeline that would carry 375,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota across Minnesota, through Hubbard County to Superior Wisconsin. The Sandpiper pipeline proposal was withdrawn by Enbridge in August of 2016.
The risks posed by Enbridge's Line 3, renamed Line 93, are many:
- This pipeline route crosses the clearest lakes area in MN based on the Census of Water Clarity (U of MN Water Resources Center).
- This pipeline route crosses an area with the highest susceptibility for groundwater contamination impacting drinking water aquifers (MPCA map).
- The pipeline route crosses the wild rice lakes area. According to the DNR, MN supplies 50% of the worlds hand-picked rice annually.
- The pipeline route crosses wetlands critical to waterfowl and other wildlife (DNR).
- The proposed route would cross 8 state forests (including the Mississippi Headwaters SF), 3 wildlife management areas, 13 trout streams (including the Straight River), as well as the North Country Trail.
- Line 3, renamed Line 93, crosses the Mississippi River twice in Minnesota. This river is a valuable source of drinking water for many cities on its 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico, including Minneapolis and St Paul. 3.8 million gallons of water flow from Lake Itasca into the headwaters every day.
- A few more facts:
- The corridor will be covered with snow and ice for the long winter season. The Poplar pipeline spill (31,000 gallons) in the Yellowstone River in January of 2015 caused drinking water problems in Glendive, Montana. Clean up had to be postponed until spring. Imagine the effects of a similar spill in our Mississippi River.
- PER DAY, this pipeline will carry 760,000 barrels of Alberta tar sand oil, also called "dilbit", the industry name for diluted bitumen - also known as "Cold Lake Blend". Don't be fooled. It's still tar sands oil. That's almost 32,000,000 gallons/day through our headwaters.
- Enbridge's pipeline spill of 850,000 gallons of tar sands oil in Michigan in 2010 polluted nearly 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River and has become one of the costliest spills ($1.2 Billion) in US history.
- The National Academy of Sciences Report on Diluted Bitumen (Tar Sands Oil) final finding is "diluted bitumen is virtually impossible to clean out of a water-based environment". WHY? BECAUSE IT SINKS!
- In a successful lawsuit. FOH forced the State to execute the first Environmental Impact Study (EIS) on a major oil pipeline in Minnesota history.
The following is a timeline for those seeking clarity about significant dates, decisions, legal or procedural histories on Sandpiper/Line 3, renamed Line 93:
For links to the pertinent briefs and pivotal moments in Friends of the Headwaters’ legal strategies against new Enbridge oil pipelines, go to https://www.friendsoftheheadwaters.org/our-history.html
Abbreviations:
FOH - Friends of the Headwaters DOC - MN Dept. of Commerce
PUC - MN Public Utilities Commission SP - Sandpiper L3 - Line 3
EIS - Environmental Impact Study MPCA - MN Pollution Control Agency
11/8/13 Enbridge dba North Dakota Pipeline Company files application for Sandpiper
3/12/14 MN Dept. of Commerce and Enbridge hold Sandpiper public info meetings
6/27/14 FOH motion for oral arguments before the MN Public Utilities Commission
8/7/14 Oral presentation before Public Utilities Commission regarding Sandpiper
9/11/14 Public Utilities Commission hearing, bifurcation decision Sandpiper
12/12/14 FOH files court case on Sandpiper to MN Appeals Court
4/24/15 Enbridge dba Enbridge Energy Partners files application for Line 3
9/14/15 MN Appellate Court ruling, ordering an EIS, voiding Sandpiper Cert. of Need
12/15/15 MN Supreme Court upholds Appellate Court ruling
12/17/15 Public Utilities Commission orders EIS, voids Sandpiper Cert. of Need
9/1/16 Enbridge officially files Sandpiper withdrawal with Public Utilities Commission
9/26/16 FOH motion reopen comment period DSDD re decree and SP withdrawal
8/17/17 Final Environmental Impact Study (EIS) releases
1/9/18 Public Utilities Commission hearing overrules Administrative Law Judge O'Reilly
9/5/18 Public Utilities Commission Cert. of Need approved contingent modifications
10/26/18 Public Utilities Commission Route Permit approved
12/19/18 FOH files Cert. of Need/Route Permit appeal
1/13/19 FOH files EIS appeal to MN Court of Appeals
4/17/19 FOH & intervenors refile CN Appeal
6/3/19 MN Court of Appeals overturns EIS adequacy, remands to Public Utilities Comm.
6/28/19 MN Court of Appeals orders stay of CN/RP Appeals
2/3/20 Public Utilities Comm. approves supplemental EIS, re-approves Line 3 Need and Route permits
2/27/20 MN Pollution Control Agency releases 401 certification documents
4/17/20 FOH files petition for 401 contested case hearing
5/21/20 FOH files motion of reconsideration on Public Utilities Commission approval
6/4/20 MN Pollution Control Agency grants FOH’s petition for 401 contested case hearing
7/20/20 Public Utilities Commission reissues the written order of Line 3 approval
8/19/20 FOH files an appeal to MN Court of Appeals on Line 3 decision
10/28/20 FOH files briefs to MN Appeals Court on Line 3
11/16/20 MN Pollution Control Agency certifies 401 permits
11/23/20 US Army Corp of Engineers approves 404 permit
11/24/20 Enbridge begins Line 3 construction
11/30/20 FOH and other file joint petition MN Court of Appeals on 401 decision
12/9/20 FOH files appeal on MN Pollution Control Agency 401 decision to MN Appeals Court
1/22/21 FOH files a lawsuit against USACE 404 decision at federal court Wash DC
6/14/21 MN Appeals Court approves Public Utilities Commission’s approval of pipeline permits
Judge Reyes dissents
12/1/21 Motion filed to Public Utilities Commission to address Decommissioning Trust Fund
2/18/22 FOH files comments on Decommissioning Trust Fund
4/12/23 FOH files comments on Enbridge’s draft Trust agreement
9/5/23 FOH files a letter challenging Decommissioning Trust Fund Settlement terms
11/14/23 Public Utilities Commission approves the Decommissioning Trust Fund Settlement
|
|
There are places where a barrel of water Is worth more than a barrel of oil!
