MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge Energy has begun construction on its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement in Minnesota.
The action Tuesday comes a day after state regulators approved the final permit for the $2.6 billion project.
Spokeswoman Juli Kellner said Enbridge began construction in several locations around the state in the morning.
Enbridge spent years pursuing permits for the project before the last one, a construction stormwater permit, was granted Monday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Several activist and Indigenous groups filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the MPCA’s permit approval, citing the pipeline’s threat to Native American waters and climate change.
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