ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Enbridge Energy is delaying the startup of its Line 3 replacement crude oil pipeline through northern Minnesota by a year.
The Canadian-based company said Friday it now expects the new pipeline to go into service in the second half of 2020. Enbridge officials had
hoped to put the pipeline into service
in the second half of 2019.
But Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently said his administration will
keep pursuing an appeal
of an independent regulatory commission’s approval of Enbridge’s plan.
The state Public Utilities Commission
approved the project
last summer. But the Minnesota Department of Commerce argued that Enbridge failed to provide legally adequate long-range demand forecasts to establish that it’s needed.
Enbridge wants to replace Line 3 because it’s increasingly prone to cracking and corrosion. Native American and environmental activists argue the project risks spills in pristine areas.
