Enbridge Delays Controversial Line 3 Pipeline Expansion by At Least One Year in Latest Setback to Tar Sands Industry

In response to the Canadian pipeline company Enbridge’s announcement that it will delay its Line 3 pipeline expansion in Minnesota by at least one year due to difficulties obtaining necessary permits, Greenpeace USA climate campaigner Rachel Rye Butler said:

“This is exactly what we can expect to see when oil and gas companies try to force through dirty pipelines we don’t need. Given that Minnesota’s own Department of Commerce deemed Line 3 economically unnecessary, and our climate can’t afford the burning of more polluting tar sands oil, this project has been flawed from the start. Enbridge has been busy assuring investors the Line 3 pipeline expansion would be in service by November 2019, and it is just now starting to admit that public opposition has made this timeline ridiculous.

“As oil companies try and fail to make the case that there’s a place for tar sands oil pipelines in a just, thriving economy, the Line 3 expansion is not the only project that’s met steep resistance. In the last decade, the Keystone XL, Dakota Access, and Trans Mountain pipelines have all been stopped or delayed by a powerful movement fighting for Indigenous rights, a clean energy economy, and our shared environment. People across the country are demanding a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards 100% renewable energy; now is the time for elected officials to make it happen.”