On Monday, May 15, 2017, the State of Minnesota released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Enbridge's proposed new Line 3 pipeline. You can view or download the entire DEIS here. This 5000+ page document is an attempt to analyze the potential impacts of the project on Minnesota's environment, public health, tribal resources, climate, etc, and to compare Enbridge's proposed route to several alternatives. The MN Public Utilities Commission is supposed to use it to decide whether or not to grant Enbridge permits for the project.
Public Meetings: The State of MN will hold 22 public meetings in June 2017, all over Minnesota, to gather public comment on the DEIS. In theory, they will use the public comments to make improvements before issuing the Final EIS later this year. Click here for the detailed schedule with times and venue addresses, a list of MN libraries that have hard copies of the DEIS available for the public, etc.
June 14 – Staples
June 14 – Little Falls
June 15 – Foley
June 15 – Milaca
June 16 – Mora
June 20 – Newfolden
June 20 – Hallock
June 21 – North Thief River Falls
June 21 – Plummer
June 22 – Gully
June 22 – Bemidji
June 6 – Bagley
June 6 – Grand Rapids
June 7 – Park Rapids
June 7 – Cass Lake
June 8 – Floodwood
June 8 – Brainerd
June 9 – Wadena
June 12 – Hinckley
June 12 – McGregor
June 13 – Cloquet
June 13 – St. Paul
Send Written Comments: You can also submit written comments on the DEIS. The deadline is July 10, 2017. Make sure to include the docket numbers (CN-14-916 and PPL-15-137) on all comments. You can submit them 3 ways: email to [email protected], fax to 651-539-0109, or mail to: Jamie MacAlister, Environmental Review Manager Minnesota Department of Commerce, 85 7th Place East, Suite 280 St. Paul, MN 55101-2198.
Background: This Draft EIS is the result of several years of battle in the regulatory arena between Enbridge, the MN state agencies, and grassroots groups working to protect the water - battles that began with the Sandpiper pipeline. The State of MN tried its best to avoid doing an EIS for this project at all, but a grassroots-funded lawsuit by Friends of the Headwaters was successfully in overturning that decision. In September 2015, the MN Court of Appeals revoked the permit for the Sandpiper and ruled that the MN Public Utilities Commission was required by law to start over and prepare an EIS.
How to write good comments: The best comments point to specific sections or page numbers of the DEIS and explain precisely how and why they are inaccurate, incomplete, biased, based on unfair assumptions, etc. It is also good to reference credible sources of information that you think the State should take into account. Feel free to include personal stories or accounts of how the project will directly affect you, your rights, your community, the resources you depend on, etc. Comments such as "Please build the pipeline because I need a job" or "Water is Life, No Pipelines!" do not have much impact...but may be counted in an overall tally, so something is better than nothing!
Highlights of the DEIS: We are currently reading through the document and taking notes. We will post them here ASAP to help you interpret the document and find the parts that you most want to comment on. Please check back soon!
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