Environmental groups vow to challenge permits.
7:55 pm, Nov. 12, 2020
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A tanker truck passes by an Enbridge storage tank. Forum News Service file photoMichael Vosburg / Forum News Service
ST. PAUL — Two Minnesota agencies granted key construction permits to Enbridge's controversial Line 3 oil pipeline across northern Minnesota on Thursday, Nov. 12, but final permit approvals by federal regulators, authorization and legal battles still prevent construction from beginning just yet.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency granted the 340-mile pipeline's 401 certification, a permit awarded by a state's regulators if the project's impact on water falls within the state's standard. The agency also approved Line 3's capped air emissions and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System wastewater permit.