Pipeline Battles Coming To A Head On 3 Fronts In Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Battles over climate change and oil pipelines come to a head on three fronts in Minnesota this week.
Environmental groups have high hopes for a "Tar Sands Resistance March" to the State Capitol Saturday. They want to keep Canadian crude in the ground instead of piping it across northern Minnesota via an expanded Alberta Clipper pipeline. Organizers including the Sierra Club and 350.org, say they expect thousands of people to participate.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission hears oral arguments Wednesday then decides Friday whether to grant a certificate of need to the separate Sandpiper pipeline from North Dakota's Bakken oilfields.
Meanwhile, two American Indian tribes that feel shut out of the discussions — the White Earth and Mille Lacs Ojibwe — will hold their own pipeline hearings Thursday and Friday.
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