By Bob Schoneberger
For almost 70 years, Minnesotan’s have relied on Enbridge to be a significant part of supplying their energy needs and they did not even know it. All of the sudden what we all have grown used to and comfortable with and need – is being portrayed as the boogey-man. That “focus of fear” has now been directly pointed at Line 3, a critically important pipeline that Enbridge operates and Minnesota as well as the entire Midwest needs. The pipeline is essential for a lot of reasons but it is also old and needs to be replaced. And it needs to happen now.
It is important to note that Minnesota as well as at the Federal level have strong rules and a process in place to make sure things like pipelines are built right, do what they are supposed to do, and protect people and the environment. But the “conversation” about replacing Line 3 has gone far beyond regulations and process.
People are not only attacking workers and their families who want to work hard and at home to build a new Line 3, others want to pretend we live in a different world where we don’t need pipelines and petroleum. Anyone who disagrees with them are wrong and the only acceptable decision is to not let Enbridge replace Line 3. They can point to a “fact”, leave out any intelligent analysis and at the same time attack people like me who know how much we need this project to happen. All the while they, the “focus of fear folks” are using and needing petroleum-based products to live their lives with some level of quality.
That is why we created Minnesotans for Line 3.
We are here to help support Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement project. MN4L3 is a diverse group of community leaders, elected officials, Farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, environmentalists and neighbors who understand the need for reliable energy that we use every day across our great state so we can live a good quality of life and others can too.
Our goal is to be a resource to make sure that the voices of people who support the project are heard. We also want to be an educational resource for those who have questions about the project and correct others who want to mislead us.
Pipelines are an important part of any economy and will be for years to come, even as how we use energy changes. Though efforts are being made to use less oil products, it is inevitable that we will use these products for the foreseeable future as they are necessary for the transportation and food systems that keep our communities functioning and alive. Regardless of how we use this energy, it is crucial that these products be transported in the safest, most responsible way, which is pipelines. Line 3 being an intricate part of this network.
The Line 3 Replacement project will ensure that this network continues to safely provide Minnesota families, communities, and our economy with a dependable way to access energy to help our state’s economy continue to move forward. Our coalition members and supporters know that it is time to replace a decades-old deteriorating part of our energy infrastructure with a new, modern, and more efficient oil pipeline that will consume less energy to operate. We believe we should have the best and safest way to transport energy where it’s needed today as well as into the future. We support this project because our state and our region need it for so many reasons and in so many ways.
This is the first official post and we intend to be an active and energized voice. We will share information with you as things go forward and hope you can join us. Follow us on social media and help us get the word out.
The opportunity is now and it’s time to move forward with Line 3 – a project that is ready to go, thoroughly reviewed, and will not only benefit the cities where it will be built – it will help our entire state.