Climate change activists to protest Minn. oil pipeline project

Environmental activists plan to rally on Thursday against Enbridge's bid to pipe more oil from Canada through Minnesota, saying it takes the country in the wrong direction when it comes to tackling climate change.

The Alberta Clipper, also known as Line 67, currently carries 450,000 barrels of Canadian crude oil daily through Minnesota. State regulators have already signed off on Enbridge's plan to increase capacity to 570,000 barrels per day. Now the company is asking the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to approve an increased capacity of 800,000 barrels per day.

• Related: Enbridge eyes pipeline project through northern Minn.

The last public hearing on the matter takes place Thursday afternoon, and activists from Minnesota 350, the Sierra Club and other groups plan to speak at the hearing following the rally in St. Paul. The Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision later this year. The project also needs federal approval.

Increasing the Alberta Clipper's capacity involves constructing several new pump stations along the line but Enbridge would not construct any new pipelines.

The arguments against increasing capacity on the pipeline echo some of those heard in the debate over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that has received national attention in recent months. Much of the new oil that would flow into both Keystone XL and the Alberta Clipper comes from the oil sands of Alberta. Extracting and refining that oil is an energy intensive process, leading to criticism from climate change activists who want to see carbon emissions reductions.

Enbridge has said the pipeline was designed to carry up to 800,000 barrels per day and that its customers — including oil refineries in the Twin Cities that supply gasoline for cars, trucks and planes — are demanding more. Company officials have also said increasing the pipeline's capacity helps the U.S. rely less on oil imports from unstable areas of the world.

Environmentalists and landowners have also raised concerns about the potential for spills, but Enbridge has said new leak detection technology and other measures have improved, making pipelines safer.

The Alberta Clipper project is one of three projects Enbridge has proposed in Minnesota. It is also proposing a replacement and maintenance project for Line 3, which also carries Canadian crude, and building a new pipeline, the Sandpiper, to carry oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota through Minnesota.