ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will extend the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project public comment period to Feb. 21, 2019.
St. Paul District is currently evaluating a permit request for construction-related activities affecting water resources associated with the proposed Enbridge Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement. The project permit application and public notice can be found at www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Enbridge_Line3.
The proposed project involves the replacement of pipeline across 80 miles of wetlands in Minnesota and approximately 1-mile in North Dakota. The proposed project would result in temporary impacts to approximately 1,000 acres of wetlands, and permanent impacts to 10 acres of wetlands. The project requires crossing 211 water bodies, approximately half of which are ditches.
The Corps extended the comment period an additional 30 days after receiving multiple requests. The original deadline to submit comments on this project was Jan. 21, 2019.
“We wanted to ensure the public and our partner agencies had ample time to review the information and provide us meaningful feedback,” said Chad Konickson, regulatory chief. “We are looking for comments related to the scope of our evaluation, specifically those impacts to wetlands and waterways as a result of the construction-related activities in Enbridge’s application.”
The Corps has regulatory authority under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and under Sections 10 and 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The Corps regulates placement of fill material in wetlands and other waters, as well as work and structures in navigable waters. The Corps does not regulate the overall construction or operation of pipelines, nor does it regulate the siting of any type of pipeline or any substance being transported within a pipeline. The Corps is one of several permitting agencies to review the project.
Public comments may be submitted through Feb. 21, 2019, by email to CEMVP-L3R-PN-Comments@usace.army.mil, or mailed to: District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, 180 5th St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, MN 55101.