Around 20 protesters disrupted construction of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement project near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border on Monday. Construction of the line was shut down for about two hours.
Jennifer Smith, spokeswoman for Enbridge, said some protesters wore masks as they climbed onto equipment where a 12.5-mile segment of the 1960s-era pipeline is being replaced.
“I couldn’t tell you exactly what they were doing on the equipment, but they were definitely on it,” she said. “When the individuals went and got on the right-of-way, the employees that were operating their equipment obviously shut down their equipment and left.”
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
Protesters posted video of their actions on social media. Smith said they vandalized equipment, but Enbridge isn’t pursuing any charges at this time. She said Enbridge respects people’s rights to protest pipeline projects when demonstrations don’t put anyone’s safety at risk.
“Illegally trespassing onto the right-of-way, there really was an opportunity for harm – not only for the individuals themselves – this is an active construction site. There’s open trenching. It was muddy. But, also there are operating pipelines in this corridor as well,” she said. “I can’t reiterate the potential hazards that could have caused.”
Smith said there were no injuries and no arrests were made. She said Enbridge does have security in place at the construction site and the company is constantly reviewing those plans.
Line 3 currently transports around 390,000 barrels of oil per day to the Enbridge terminal in Superior. Enbridge is spending around $2.6 billion in the U.S. to replace the aging pipeline.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
