Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office Reports Increase in Enbridge Line 3 Protests

According to a recent Facebook post from the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office, protest actions of those opposed to the Enbridge Line 3 construction have increased.

On August 3, a group of about 12 people were able to gain access into a fenced-in easement of Enbridge and occupied the space of a bridge that went over the Mississippi River. Orders to disperse were given where three people left on their own. Seven people remained on the easement and were arrested and transported to Becker County Jail.

Additionally, on July 29, several individuals attempted to block access to a water pump used by pipeline workers at the Mississippi River on 230th Street in Bear Creek Township. Dispersal orders were also given and five people remained on site. The five who stayed were issued citations for public nuisance and were told to leave the area. Two people stayed and were arrested and transported to the Clearwater County Jail. Both individuals were booked on public nuisance charges and one was also charged with obstructing legal process.

Giniw Collective, an group opposed to the project, says that water protectors were maced, tear gassed, and shot with rubber bullets while blocking a gate into an construction site.

“The mass action comes as another spill was reported on the Mississippi River headwaters, where Enbridge has continued to drill despite a temporary halt buffer zone issued by White Earth Nation,” they said.

Water protectors also gathered on July 29 at the Minnesota State Capitol Building to express their opinions to Governor Walz and Minnesota state agencies that “they have failed the people of Minnesota in permitting Enbridge to build the Line 3 oil pipeline.”

The Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office post ends by saying that “every effort is being made to handle these situations peacefully and have them resolved without incident. We respect the right for people to exercise their first amendment right to peacefully and lawfully protest.”