When large projects are planned by the government or private companies, they often do not deliver what people thought they would. It’s easy to make claims about how many jobs will be created to try to get people to support a project, knowing reality might be different when construction starts.
That is not the case however with the Line 3 replacement project. From when the process started, Enbridge promised this would be done the right way and to make sure jobs and spending happens here with union workers.
In less than a month since the final permit, more than 2,000 union members have already started working. More are being added every day as the project progresses, peaking at over 4,000 workers.
The impact of these workers is real and is already being seen in communities across northern Minnesota. Hotels that were struggling to attract guests are now filling up. Restaurants forced to close their dining room are now doing more takeout orders than ever and stores are trying to keep up with demand.
This project is positively impacting local economies and downtowns. Even better, it is being done safely with no COVID-19 problems to date and it is being done in a way which is best for the environment.
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In fact, the only negative thing we can note with the project is the number of out-of-town protesters who think it makes sense to chain themselves to heavy machinery and interfere with workers.
After six years of hearing Enbridge talk about the project and what it would mean for Minnesota, it was more than just talk. It was a commitment to support our communities, our workers and our environment. In just a few weeks we have already seen this happen and it should give us hope that as bad as things are now because of COVID, we have a reason to have economic hope in 2021.
Luke Bruns, Solway, is president of Northern Horizons Solway, Inc.
