ST. PAUL – Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, was among 76 legislators from the Minnesota House and Senate who on Friday sent a bipartisan letter to Gov. Tim Walz, urging him to support the Line 3 replacement pipeline project, and to drop state-backed legal challenges to the unanimous decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to grant the certificate of need for the project.
“The fact this proposed project has received intense scrutiny at every turn and the PUC still provided unanimous approval says it all,” Erickson said. “The previous governor and his administration seemingly pursued every legal avenue possible in attempting to derail plans to replace Line 3. We can only hope Gov. Walz and his staff are more willing to put politics aside and put the court filings to rest on this issue.”
Earlier this week, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed appeals from various environmental groups and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. As a result, the Walz administration must decide whether to re-file a petition for reconsideration, the first step toward any potential appeal. That decision must be made by Tuesday.
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