Minnesota fossil fuel foes have lost an 11th-hour legal battle to halt Enbridge Inc.’s nearly complete Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project.

Line 3

The Minnesota Supreme Court declined without comment to hear an appeal to overturn the state approvals. The appeal was filed by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Honor the Earth and Sierra Club.

The rejection upheld a verdict by the Minnesota Court of Appeals that accepted the regulatory approvals. 

The new Line 3 is projected to give Canadian exporters – led by the country’s top natural gas user, Alberta thermal oilsands production – an added 370,000 b/d of capacity. The project replaces 53-year-old pipe to enable an operating pressure increase.

The $2.6 billion construction project would...