Pollution Control Agency Denies Water Quality Certification For Line 3 Upgrade

Minnesota pollution regulators have denied a water quality certification for Enbridge Energy’s proposed Line 3 upgrade, but it may be a short-lived victory for opponents of the project.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced the denial Friday and said the move was necessary because the state Court of Appeals had ruled in June that the environmental review didn’t address a possible spill in the Lake Superior Watershed, among other things. The MPCA says Enbridge can re-file for the certification.

Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge says in a statement that it expects the Public Utilities Commission to go over what’s needed to revise the environmental review at a meeting next week.