Enbridge Energy’s pathway for a new pipeline to replace its aging “Line 3” across northern Minnesota would likely cause more wildlife habitat loss and have more impact on wild rice lakes than any of four alternative routes being looked at by state regulators.
But impacts on fish and wildlife would vary only slightly between the routes. And environmental and cultural resources would be hurt less by a spill on Enbridge’s proposed new Line 3 route than in a spill on two alternative routes that run parallel to the current Line 3, according to a state environmental assessment released Monday.
The report is a big development in Enbridge’s 2 ½-year quest to replace a corroding, 1960s-vintage pipeline. The company wants to build a 337-mile pipeline that would follow Line 3’s current route to Clearbrook, but would then jog toward Park Rapids through an area known for pristine waters and wild rice lakes.
