ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Protesters descended upon the Minnesota State Capitol to rally against Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline as the project nears completion.

The rally is part of a series of events called Treaties over Tar Sands organized by Indigenous and environmental activists. Protesters called on Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the Line 3 replacement pipeline project. Opponents argue the project violates Native American treaty rights while aggravating climate change and risking spills.

Organizers estimated the crowd at more than 2,000 while Capitol Security put it at about 1,000.

Elsewhere, Enbridge officials say construction of the Line 3 project is now more than 90% complete. They say the workforce, which peaked at around 3,000 workers, will be getting smaller this fall, but also that there is still a lot of work to do.

Once construction of new Line 3 is complete and in service, the next phase for Enbridge, they say, will be the deactivation of the current Line 3. That will involve several phases beginning this fall with removing or purging the oil from inside the pipeline, which will be followed by the cleaning of the pipeline.

The rest of the work will continue next summer.

By — Lakeland News