歪歪漫画

ST. PAUL 鈥� With the construction of Enbridge鈥檚 Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project roughly 90% complete, Minneapolis Democrat U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is making one final push to halt the completion and operation of the pipeline.

Standing before the mighty Mississippi River at a Friday, Sept. 3 news conference in Minneapolis, Omar rallied "The Squad" 鈥� her Congressional allies, U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. 鈥� to pressure President Joe Biden to revoke Line 3鈥檚 permits.

鈥淲e are here because nearly all of Minnesota is in a state of drought. We are here because wildfires are burning in northern Minnesota. We are here because the Twin Cities just had their hottest summer on record,鈥� Omar said Friday.

鈥淭he climate crisis is happening and the last thing we need to do is allow the very criminals who created this crisis to build more fossil fuel infrastructure,鈥� she continued.

More than 1,000 protest Enbridge Line 3 at Minnesota Capitol
Omar, along with U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., and dozens of Democratic lawmakers from in and out of Minnesota, demanding his 鈥渦rgent intervention鈥� to halt the project, which is set to begin transporting oil as soon as the fourth quarter of this year. They cite climate change, the potential for spills, tribal sovereignty, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women as concerns around Line 3.

Tlaib on Friday pointed to the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill, in which an Enbridge-operated pipeline spilled 843,000 gallons of oil into tributaries of Lake Michigan. The oil flowed at least 35 miles down the river, . Tlaib called Line 3 "a ticking time bomb."

"Enbridge can鈥檛 be trusted in Michigan, and it can鈥檛 be trusted here in Minnesota, either," she said.

Ardent supporters of the pipeline, including northern Minnesota鈥檚 Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, launched into a sparring match with Omar and her allies. Referring to his colleagues as 鈥渟ocialist Democrats,鈥� Stauber at a Friday news conference accused the congresswomen of coming to Minnesota 鈥減otentially to bring unrest鈥� and protest 鈥渙ur way of life.鈥�

鈥淭he fact of the matter is, Enbridge replacement Line 3 is a good, safe project,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been one of the most vetted projects in the entire state and it has successfully been defended in the courts.鈥�

State Rep. Anne Neu Brindley, R-North Branch, at Friday's news conference said Line 3 is "literally the most scrutinized infrastructure project in state history," meeting state permitting requirements and holding up in courtrooms after dozens of legal challenges. With construction nearly complete and the pipeline set to begin operating in weeks, she said, "It鈥檚 time to end this silliness and move this forward."

"It鈥檚 time to stop the lies. It鈥檚 time to stop the division. It鈥檚 time to stop attacking the workers who are making this happen," Neu Brindley said. "Enbridge Line 3 is happening."

While the country transitions to alternative and renewable sources of energy 鈥� which Stauber said 鈥渋s happening, we understand that鈥� 鈥� he said there needs to be just that: a transition. In the meantime, he said Line 3鈥檚 replacement is the safest way to transport oil through the state, and is good for northern Minnesota鈥檚 economy and workers.

In response to Stauber鈥檚 comments Friday, Omar said, 鈥淭hey say, 'Money talks and bullsh-t walks,'" suggesting he holds his views because of financial campaign contributions.

鈥淗e is out here advocating for them and not advocating for his constituents and the people of Minnesota who are going to suffer the consequences of the pollution that Enbridge is creating and has already created,鈥� she said of her colleague.

In a written statement, Enbridge said that 鈥渋t鈥檚 clear鈥� Omar and her colleagues protesting the project 鈥渉ave been misinformed about Line 3, and the benefits of the project to northern Minnesota.鈥� They have refuted several of the points in this week鈥檚 letter, as did the office of Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz.

1/4: U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. and Cori Bush, D-Missouri, at a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in Minneapolis urge President Joe Biden to revoke the permits for Enbridge's Line 3 oil replacement project. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

2/4: U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. at a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in Minneapolis urges President Joe Biden to revoke the permits for Enbridge's Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

3/4: U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and other supporters of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline replacement project hold a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in the Minnesota state Capitol to rebuke other lawmakers' anti-pipeline claims. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

4/4: U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and other supporters of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline replacement project hold a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in the Minnesota state Capitol to rebuke other lawmakers' anti-pipeline claims. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

1/4: U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. and Cori Bush, D-Missouri, at a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in Minneapolis urge President Joe Biden to revoke the permits for Enbridge's Line 3 oil replacement project. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

2/4: U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. at a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in Minneapolis urges President Joe Biden to revoke the permits for Enbridge's Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

3/4: U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and other supporters of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline replacement project hold a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in the Minnesota state Capitol to rebuke other lawmakers' anti-pipeline claims. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service

4/4: U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and other supporters of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline replacement project hold a Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 news conference in the Minnesota state Capitol to rebuke other lawmakers' anti-pipeline claims. Sarah Mearhoff / Forum News Service