Like many of my fellow county commissioners across Minnesota, I am glad to see construction being done on the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, but I have been surprised to see a lot of opposition groups sharing misinformation about the pipeline as it relates to Minnesota tribes and history.
Enbridge and the Line 3 project have had an incredible relationship with our tribal communities and have placed a great significance on tribal engagement.
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Enbridge has reached out to all of Minnesota’s 11 tribes, and more than 100 Native American business owners have been identified for contractors on this project.
They have hosted job fairs and conducted training programs for tribal members and gone as far as to commit $100 million to tribal affiliation work opportunities (and to date, over $180 million has been spent). Tribal monitors have also been hired to help make sure cultural resources remain protected and safe throughout construction of this project.
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It is disappointing that Enbridge is not getting credit for the effort they have put into their relationships with, and communications to, our tribal nations. They have gone above and beyond, and should be applauded for this commitment.
Craig Gaasvig, Bemidji, is a Beltrami County Commissioner.
