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020 hit us hard. Small businesses were rocked, and people were put out of work, that really hurt our local economies.
Thankfully, things have taken a turn, Main Street Minnesota is slowly opening back up, folks are getting back to work, and finally, construction on the Line 3 pipeline is underway.
I have long been a supporter of this important project to replace the Line 3 pipeline here in Minnesota. Not only is Enbridge projected to spend nearly $3 billion on the replacement pipeline, but thousands of men and women are already back on the job and the ripple effect is evident.
To date, there are more than 5,000 people working on this process across 14 counties. This also means thousands of people stopping at our local gas stations, staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, and wandering our hardware stores.
Northern Minnesota has been hurting and because of this necessary construction on Line 3, these small towns and communities are seeing the sunshine once again. People are working, business is up, and the instant benefit is being realized.
We must also look at benefits yet to come in the future. Currently, Enbridge pays $30 million annually in Minnesota property taxes. Following completion of this project, they will be paying more than double, bringing in an additional $35 million in property taxes to the state of Minnesota.
This project provides real revenue that will be used to fund our schools, roads and other infrastructure. I am proud to see that this project is finally moving forward in a safe and sustainable way and look forward to continuing to see the amazing benefits to our communities and state as a whole.
Steve Giorgi, Executive Director, Range
Association of Municipalities & Schools
(RAMS) Mountain Iron, Minnesota
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