Dozens arrested after protesters move to block Minnesota pipeline
At least 30 protesters were arrested on Monday while trying to block Enbridge Energy from rebuilding an aging pipeline in northern Minnesota.
Hundreds of activists gathered at a pump station in Solway, with several chaining themselves to construction equipment and using boats to block the entrance to the worksite. The pipeline in question, Line 3, carries crude from Alberta, Canada, to Wisconsin. The pipeline has been in operation since 1968, and because it is older and corroded, carries about half of its original capacity. Enbridge says it plans to rebuild the pipeline so it can carry double the amount of crude, using stronger steel to better prevent leaks.
Indigenous communities and environmentalists are against Line 3, saying there is a risk of oil spills that could contaminate the local rivers and lakes and other areas where tribes hunt, fish, and harvest crops. Dawn Goodwin, co-founder of the RISE Coalition, told Reuters that "for years, we have tried to assert our sovereignty and speak out against Line 3. We still have time to save our sacred waters and land — our life sources."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, and activists are calling on him to stop construction of Line 3. The Minnesota Court of Appeals is expected to rule by June 21 on whether to overturn state regulators' approval of the project. In a statement, Enbridge said it evacuated 44 workers from the pump station, adding that the company had "hoped all parties could come to accept the outcome of the thorough, science-based review and multiple approvals of the project."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Court rules Josef Fritzl can be moved to normal prison
Speed Read 'Notorious' criminal, now 88, was convicted for raping, committing incest and imprisoning his daughter
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Post Office scandal casts new light on Robin Garbutt murder conviction
Speed Read Supporters claim faulty Horizon evidence was key to guilty verdict but victim's mother accuses former postmaster of jumping on bandwagon
By The Week UK Published
-
Uvalde parents want indictments after DOJ's scathing school shooting report
Speed Read The Justice Department's damning review of the May 2022 school shooting in Texas details 'cascading failures,' but families of the victims want justice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Girls left 'at the mercy' of Rochdale sex abuse gangs, says 'damning' review
Speed Read Victims 'badly failed' by council and police, said Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published