FOR
FOR ABOUT
FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS NOW, CREWS HAVE BEEN BUSY IN NORTHERN
MINNESOTA WORKING ON ONE OF THE
BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
THIS STATE HAS EVER SEEN.
THE ENBRIDGE LINE THREE OIL
PIPELINE AND ALMOST EVERY SINGLE
DAY THE PROJECT IS PROTESTED BY
NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISTS
AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS.
AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS. THE PIPELINE'S PARTIALLY
NEW ROUTE SPANS THREE HUNDRED
THIRTY SEVEN MILES ACROSS
MINNESOTA WITH A PRICE TAG MORE
THAN THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT
OF US BANK STADIUM EARLIER THIS
WINTER, WE SENT DANNY SPEWAK
NORTHOME NINE THIRTY FIVE
TO CHECK OUT LINE THREE
FOR HIMSELF AND HE BREAKS DOWN
THE CONTROVERSIAL PROJECT
ON SOME OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA
MOST REMOTE LANDS.
>> THE SOUNDS OF CONSTRUCTION
FILLED THE AIR THIS WINTER. SOME
WELCOMED THE NORDS MAKES ME FEEL
VERY HAPPY. OTHERS FOUND IT
INSULT.
INSULT.
INSULT. >> IT'S TOTAL INSANITY AND IT'S
A COMPLETE AND UTTER VIOLATION
OF AN INDIGENOUS TREATY.
>> TERRITORIES. AFTER SIX YEARS
OF HEATED PUBLIC HEARINGS,
AND REGULATORY HURDLES IS
THE AREA OF MOST CONCERN.
>> CANADIAN ENERGY COMPANY
ENBRIDGE FINALLY STARTED
REPLACING THE MINNESOTA PORTION
OF ITS LIFERING THREE OIL
PIPELINE IN DECEMBER IN THE
THICK OF WINTER, WE VISITED AN
AREA OF THE PROJECT KNOWN AS
SPREAD FIRE NEAR CLOQUET, JUST
OUTSIDE OF DULUTH.
>> WE'RE JUST DOING OUR DAY
TODAY WORK AND GETTING THE JOB
DONE. BRIAN RANDOLPH IS A UNION
PIPELINER HE'S FROM IOWA. AND IN
FACT, ACCORDING TO PUBLIC
FILINGS, ABOUT TWO THIRDS
THE MINNESOTA LINE THREE
WORKFORCE OF MORE THAN 4000 CAME
FROM OUT OF STATE THROUGH
THE END OF DECEMBER. BUT AN
ENBRIDGE SPOKESPERSON SAYS
THAT REFLECTS THE EARLY WINTER
TOTALS AND NOT THE TRUE NUMBER
OF IN-STATE WORKERS. AND THE
OTHERS, THOUGH, ARE FROM AT
LEAST MIDWESTERN BORDER STATES
WORKING TO REBUILD AN AGING
PIPELINE FIRST BUILT IN THE 60S.
THE LONG TERM IMPACTS ARE THE
SAFETY AND THE VALUE OF HAVING
A NEW PIPELINE IN THE GRAHME
IN THE SHORT TERM, WORKERS HAVE
BOOSTED NORTHERN MINNESOTA
ECONOMIES, BRINGING BUSINESS
TO HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS NEAR
WORK SITES.
WORK SITES. >> A LOT OF THESE GUYS WILL BE
LAID OFF RIGHT NOW AND THEN
THREE OR FOUR MONTHS THEY'RE
GOING TO PUT A BIG CHUNK
OF MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS.
>> BUT SPREAD FIVE ALSO RUNS
THROUGH THE HEART OF THE FOND DU
LAC RESERVATION. INDIGENOUS
ACTIVIST BOUGHT PROPERTY NEXT
TO A WORK SITE WHERE THEY SET
UP CAMP AND ARE VOWING TO STOP
LINE THREE. IT'S ONE OF MANY
RESISTANCE SPOTS ACROSS HUNDREDS
OF MILES OF PIPELINE WHERE
PROTESTERS KNOWN AS WATER
PROTECTORS HAVE CHAINED
THEMSELVES TO EQUIPMENT
AND DISRUPTED INSTRUCTION
LEADING TO DOZENS OF ARRESTS.
>> THIS PIPELINER ABOUT 200
YARDS OFF THE PROPOSED LINE
THREE ROUTE. INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST
TARA HOUSKA JOINED US ON ZOOME
FROM ONE OF THE CAMPS WHERE
SHE'S LIVED FOR THE PAST THREE
YEARS. THIS IS A BRAND NEW ROUTE
THROUGH HUNDREDS MILES
OF WETLANDS AND TERRITORIES
THAT HAVE NO PIPELINES.
>> AND THEN STARTING IN WESTERN
CANADA THROUGH NORTH DAKOTA,
THE ENBRIDGE REPLACEMENT LINE
WILL PUMP CRUDE OIL THROUGH AN
EXISTING ROUTE INTO NORTHWESTERN
MINNESOTA BEFORE VEERING SOUTH
TO EAST ALL THE WAY TO SUPERIOR
WISCONSIN. THE REPLACEMENT ROUTE
BYPASSES THE WHITE EARTH,
RED LAKE AND LEECH
LAKE RESERVATIONS, BUT GOES
THROUGH AREAS OR TRIBES HAVE
LONG STANDING TREATY RIGHTS
TO FISH HUNT AND GROW WILD
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS. >> THAT WILD RACE IS SO SACRED
TO OUR PEOPLE. IT'S AT THE HEART
WE ARE. IT IS THE CENTER
POINT OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR
IDENTITY AS PEOPLE.
>> MULTIPLE GROUPS ARE SUING,
INCLUDING THE STATE'S OWN
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS
ARGUING IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
THAT ENBRIDGE HASN'T SHOWN
THERE'S A DEMAND FOR OIL
REQUIRING A NEWER PIPELINE.
THE WORK IS CONTINUED .
OPPONENTS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO STOP CONSTRUCTION OF THE
PROJECT THROUGH THE COURT
SYSTEM. NOW THEY'RE TAKING IT
TO AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL. THE NEW
ADMINISTRATION IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, MINNESOTA REPRESENTATIVE
IHLEN OGEMA SENT A LETTER
TO PRESIDENT BIDEN ASKING HIM
TO WITHDRAW PERMITS FOR LIFERING
THREE JUST AS HE DID FOR THE
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE.
>> I THINK RELYING ON A DIRTY
FOSSIL FUEL RELIEF, SOMETHING
THAT WE NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM
OMAR AND OTHERS ALSO SAY
ENBRIDGE CAN'T BE TRUSTED
BECAUSE OF THEIR PAST DISASTERS
LIKE 1991 NEAR GRAND RAPIDS,
MINNESOTA. THE PRESSURE WAS SO
EXTREME IT COVERED TREE TOPS,
THOUSANDS OF FEET IN THE AIR
AND 2010 NEAR MARSHALL,
MICHIGAN, TWO OF THE LARGEST
INLAND OIL SPILLS IN AMERICAN
HISTORY. BUT ENBRIDGE SAYS
THAT'S MORE REASON TO DO
THE WIHT THREE REPLACEMENT
PROJECT WIGDAHL VERY, VERY.
THE MISTAKES WE'VE MADE IS
LESSONS LIKE GRAND RAPIDS
AND MARSHALL THAT GET US TO THE
POINT OF SAYING, YOU KNOW,
WE COULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE
THIS, BUT IT'S BETTER
TO REPLACE. ENBRIDGE EXPECTS
LAUDIEN THREE TO BE FULLY
UP AND RUNNING BY THE END OF THE
YEAR, KEEPING UNION WORKERS
AND PROTESTERS BUSY.
>> I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN DEALING
WITH THIS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS
AND IT'S TIME TO CHANGE
TO GENOLA. WE HAVE A NEW PIPE
THAT'S GOING TO BE REPLACING
THE OLD ONE AND THAT IT'S GOING
TO BE SAFE FOR YEARS AND YEARS
TO COME.
TO COME.
TO COME. >> DANNY SPEWAK KARE 11