Corps of Engineers accepting comments on Enbridge Line 3 replacement project

ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will accept public comments through March 6 on changes to a permit application submitted by Enbridge, Inc., for its Line 3 crude oil replacement project.

The Corps is soliciting comments specific to recent changes to the permit application. These comments will be used in the Corps evaluation of the permit. The application and the public notice announcing the comment period 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 will result in temporary impacts to approximately 1,050 acres of wetlands, and permanent impacts to 9 acres of wetlands. The project requires crossing 218 water bodies, approximately half of which are ditches.

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 from Feb. 4 to March 6, 2020, via 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.

For more information on this project, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Enbridge_Line3/.

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