Public forum in Duluth will take comments on Enbridge Line 3

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators will hold a forum in Duluth on Thursday for members of the public to comment on additions to the state’s environmental review for Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota.

The update became necessary after the Minnesota Court of Appeals declared in June that the previous version was inadequate because it failed to specifically address the potential impacts of a spill into the Lake Superior watershed.

The state Commerce Department then conducted additional modeling, and concluded that there’s no serious threat to Lake Superior if crude oil ever leaks from the pipeline.

Line 3 carries Canadian crude from Alberta to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The replacement would double the capacity of the existing line, which was built in the 1960s and is increasingly subject to cracking and corrosion.

Environmental and tribal groups that have been fighting the project plan to make their opposition heard at the meeting, which is being held at the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview, The sessions run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Public Utilities Commission has imposed strict security protocols to try to prevent disruptions.