CLEARWATER COUNTY, MN—Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, and Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston, issued the following statement regarding protests that have shut down road construction on a bridge in Clearwater County.
According to a Facebook post, protesters have set up a blockade preventing construction upgrades from taking place on the bridge as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt work on the Line 3 replacement pipeline, which was granted a permit to continue moving through the process earlier this year. Last week,
out-of-state protesters shut down a Public Utilities Commission where the commission was expected to vote on whether Enbridge had met conditions set as part of their permit for the pipeline.
"The Line 3 replacement pipeline is the safest and most efficient way to move oil to market," said Rep. Grossell. "This project will bring badly needed jobs and commerce to Northern Minnesota. Shutting down a bridge in need of repair is just the latest example of how out-of-state protesters are standing in the way of good paying jobs and better quality of life for the people of our community all to suit their radical agenda."
“This is an important project that has been in the planning stages for years and now protesters are standing in the way of its much-needed completion,” Rep. Green said. “These kinds of actions may grab headlines, but they ultimately will not sit well with people in our area. It’s actually going to alienate local citizens. Not everyone supports Line 3, but standing in the way of a bridge project is not a way to gain supporters for any type of cause.”
Clearwater County makes up part of District 02A, represented by Rep. Grossell, and District 02B, represented by Rep. Green.