The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has reached an agreement with Enbridge Energy Partners on the replacement of Line 3 through the Reservation.
The need for this agreement was set in June, when the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Enbridge’s applications for permits for Line 3. The PUC also said that they would approve a new route for Line 3 that would go outside of, but very close to, the Fond du Lac Reservation unless the Band and Enbridge reached an agreement that would allow Enbridge to place the line on the current corridor through the Reservation.
The agreement allows Replacement Line 3 to be built along the existing corridor through the Reservation with a comprehensive set of safety, environmental, economic and financial benefits to the Band. These are benefits that would not be possible if Line 3 was built outside the Reservation.
The right-of-way through the Reservation will be extended by ten years from its currently scheduled expiration of 2029 – so it will end in 2039. The Band can then re-assess matters regarding the pipeline corridor in consideration of changing times and the Band’s needs and priorities.