Calls for Greater Accountability as Enbridge Continues to Pollute Water Along Line 3 Route

Clearwater County, MN -- Environmental groups long opposed to Line 3 are urging state and federal agencies to step in as pollution along the Line 3 route continues to surface. Construction of the tar sands pipeline was completed in September, but as the weather has shifted, spilled drilling fluid has continued to emerge along the pipeline route.

During the course of construction of Line 3, Enbridge had dozens of spills of drilling fluid, polluting the water at more than 60% of their horizontal directional drilling sites. Drilling fluid is known to contain numerous polluting chemicals, though the full list of chemicals in the mud is trade secret-protected. Despite the fact that these spills violated Enbridge’s permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, MPCA did not take any action to hold them accountable or revisit their permits. 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources required Enbridge to pay $3.32 million in fine and restoration costs in September for an aquifer breach that led to the release of more than 24 million gallons of groundwater. The DNR also confirmed additional aquifer breeches but not their locations. Enbridge is now 18 days past the deadline set by DNR to clean up the public aquifer breach and has paid an additional $40,000 meant to compensate the state for lost groundwater. However, neither state nor federal agencies have taken action to reevaluate the company’s permits to operate Line 3 given these egregious violations. 

“Honor the Earth demands a federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),” said Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth. “A crime is being committed and we want a federal and/or state official or agency to stop Enbridge with a full EIS. The state of Minnesota and its agencies, the MPCA and DNR, have failed to adequately protect the waters and people of Minnesota, and the Anishinaabe. We have no idea how bad the damage is. We want clear answers and a clean-up. We call on the EPA and U.S. Army Corps to undertake an EIS."  

“It’s egregious that our state agencies are sitting by as Enbridge leaves behind a mess of toxic drilling mud in our waterways,” said Sierra Club North Star Chapter Director Margaret Levin. “Clearly Enbridge sees the minimal fines and restoration costs imposed by DNR as just the cost of doing business, and this has not been sufficient to force them to clean up their act. It’s clearer than ever that federal agencies need to step in, shut down this dirty tar sands pipeline, and conduct a full assessment of its impacts on our climate and clean water before Enbridge does any more harm.” 

Photos from along the route are available HERE (with credit to Ron Turney).

For interviews with local pipeline monitors or tours of the polluted areas, contact Gabby Brown (gabby.brown@sierraclub.org) or Martin Keller (mkeller@mediasavantcom.com) for Honor the Earth.