The PUC denies few law enforcement request for reimbursement for their Line 3-related costs

The Line 3 Public Safety Escrow Account has paid out more than $7 million dollars to country sheriffs, fire departments, and the Department of Natural Resources, as of Feb. 12. Enbridge funded the escrow account to reimburse public law enforcement for Line 3- related expenses they incurred.

The PUC turned down very few requests, according information obtained from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) through a state data practices request. Law enforcement agencies got paid for pretty much everything they asked for, including payments for routine patrols of Line 3 work sites.

The PUC denied at least $106,000 in reimbursement requests. (Lack of details in the PUC response made it difficult to identify all rejected charges.)

MN law enforcement has been paid nearly $1.7 M from Line 3 escrow account

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a scheme for Enbridge to reimburse local law enforcement and fire departments for any Line 3-related expenses they incurred. This blog recently updated the reimbursements and it turns out it under reported the amount. Based on new information from the PUC, the total is now $1.67 million.

A few reimbursements date back to 2016-2018, when law enforcement agencies were already getting trained to respond to Line 3 opposition.

Enbridge funds the Line 3 Public Safety Escrow Account. Law enforcement units submit invoices for reimbursement.

In addition, Enbridge has paid $237,000 to police and nonprofit organizations for human trafficking stings and services to victims of human trafficking. The final decision to pay or not to pay is made by a third-party independent manager.

Charts below break down the spending.