(ST. PAUL, MN) On Monday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission met at the Minnesota Senate Building in Saint Paul to continue the September meeting that had been postponed following protests. The commissioners reaffirmed their previous 5-0 vote to grant the certificate of need for the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project and rejected a motion brought by pipeline opponents to reconsider the certificate of need, allowing the project to continue through Minnesota’s regulatory process.

Senator Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks), issued the following statement regarding Monday’s PUC meeting:

“ I fully agree with the PUC’s decision yesterday to uphold its previous decision to grant Enbridge’s replacement project a certificate of need. The residents of Greater Minnesota have waited for years for the project to get underway. We are finally clearing some of the last hurdles facing the replacement. The many benefits  of this project will fall directly on Northern Minnesota where it will provide a significant boost to the regional economy, sustain many good-paying jobs, and significantly increase property tax revenue.”

The proposed project will replace the current 1,031 miles of pipeline with the newest, safest, and most advanced pipeline technology while bringing jobs and significant investments to northern Minnesota. As it stands, the original pipeline only operates at half capacity due to concern over the integrity and safety of the aging line. Upon completion, the international project will increase North American oil production helping to meet the domestic demand and lowering energy costs across the continent.

A study by the University of Minnesota Duluth determined the project would bring over $2 billion in direct and related spending. Additionally, the project would create an estimated 8,600 jobs, amounting to a payroll of $344 million over two years and an additional $19.5 million in property tax revenue annually.