Hundreds From Wisconsin Headed To Regional Pipeline Protest In The Twin Cities

Environmental advocates say 1,000 from Wisconsin are expected to take part in a march Saturday to protest oil pipeline expansions from Canada into the Great Lakes region.

Sierra Club John Muir Chapter Program Coordinator Elizabeth Ward said buses from Madison, Green Bay and Stevens Point are heading to the Twin Cities for a “Tar Sands Resistance March.” Ward said they’re calling on President Obama to stop expansions at the border.

“If he determines that the Keystone pipeline will perpetuate climate change, then the exact same standard should be held for Alberta Clipper and Line 3,” Ward said, referencing two other oil pipeline projects.

The Keystone would send around 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries. President Obama vetoed a bill in February that would have approved the pipeline, saying it cut short a review of the project. Enbridge Energy is seeking to expand its Alberta Clipper or Line 67 pipeline to Superior.

Enbridge President Mark Maki said their system is critical to North America’s energy security.

“The job that our people do in terms of the number of people we employ in the state of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, you know all around the Upper Great Lakes — it has a huge impact on the economy,” Maki said. “It has a huge impact on the security of North America and the lifestyle that we enjoy in the country.”