After less than a year of construction, Enbridge Energy says construction of its Line 3 oil pipeline is now complete.

The process to reconstruct of Line 3 began in 2014. By November 2020, the new Line 3 was constructed in Canada, North Dakota, and Wisconsin but not yet in Minnesota. One month later, Minnesota state and federal regulators granted the permits to begin construction.

Enbridge claims the new pipeline will be safer than the old one, touting thicker steel and an extensive monitoring system that will keep on eye on each section of pipe 24/7. But opponents like Honor the Earth’s executive director Winona LaDuke want the government to shut the pipeline down, saying courts have not ruled much in favor of other pipeline projects and that Line 3 is more egregious than other projects that wound up there.

The new Line 3 is set to be in service starting Friday, October 1. Enbridge says it will shut down its old pipeline, flush it out, and then offer to pay for its removal if landowners request that. The company did acknowledge that some landowners might not want to disturb the land above the old pipeline.

By — Chris Burns