Watch: Line 3 activist gets little response from Sen. Klobuchar when asking about pipeline
A brief video shows Sen. Amy Klobuchar walking away from a crowd member just seconds after he asked her about the Line 3 pipeline.
The clip was posted Thursday afternoon by Resist Line 3 — a group hoping to stop construction of Enbridge's replacement tar sands pipeline that, once finished, will carry crude oil across northern Minnesota. Within 18 hours the video had more than 45,000 views.
Here's the clip:
The encounter occurred in Washington D.C. Thursday afternoon, either during or immediately after a media event in support of Klobuchar's voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act.
When the video begins, the senator appears to be mid-walk when the man begins shaking her left hand. She stops, and the man mentions "another issue that's really important to Minnesota, the Line 3 pipeline." Klobuchar nods — it's unclear if she says anything, as the clip is somewhat noisy.
While this is happening, two people in gray suits appear to try to usher the senator away. One of them even puts their hand on the man's chest as he is speaking, as if to suggest he is getting too close.
Klobuchar, seconds later, continues on and walks away with one of the people in a gray suit.
Resist Line 3 characterized the encounter as evidence of Klobuchar's hypocrisy on this specific issue. They say she frequently talks about the urgency of climate change, but has done little to speak out against Line 3, which will be able to carry 760,000 barrels' worth of crude oil every day. It is replacing an existing pipeline that is smaller and according to Enbridge, outdated and no longer able to operate at capacity.
Bring Me The News has reached out to Sen. Klobuchar's office for a comment.
Related: Diver who helped after I-35W collapse returns medals in protest of Line 3
Earlier this month, protestors (known as "water protectors") gathered at a DFL event in Alexandria, and confronted Gov. Tim Walz over the continued construction of the Line 3 pipeline. The chanting and shouting prompted the governor to end his speech early and leave the fundraiser.
There were similar actions outside the governor's mansion and Minnesota Capitol in August, as well as a sit-in at the Minnesota State Fair, where pipeline protesters blocked the entrance to the DFL booth.
Enbridge said on Aug. 10 that Line 3 was more than 80% complete and should be finished this year. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found at least 28 inadvertent releases of drilling fluid along the construction route from June 5 to Aug. 8, including 13 into wetlands — which is a violation.
