Today marks the 30th anniversary of the largest ever inland oil spill in U.S. history - and it happened because of the current Line 3 pipeline, right here in Minnesota.
Here's the story of that spill. 🧵 (1/7)
Here's the story of that spill. 🧵 (1/7)
On March 3rd, 1991, a huge rupture in the Line 3 pipeline near Grand Rapids, Minnesota caused oil to shoot over 50 feet into the air. It soaked trees, saturated the surrounding wetlands, and coated icy rivers.
When all was done, 1.7 million gallons of oil had spilled. (2/7)
When all was done, 1.7 million gallons of oil had spilled. (2/7)
Oil from the pipeline made it into the nearby Prairie River, only half a mile from the Mississippi.
The only reason it didn't get to the Mississippi is it was still winter, and the river ice stopped the oil from getting too far. In May, it would've been a different story. (3/7)
The only reason it didn't get to the Mississippi is it was still winter, and the river ice stopped the oil from getting too far. In May, it would've been a different story. (3/7)
The cleanup response, however, left something to be desired.
It took @Enbridge nearly an hour once notified of the oil spill to shut the pipeline down, which is how the spill got so large in the first place.
This is the same company @GovTimWalz trusts to handle Line 3. (4/7)
It took @Enbridge nearly an hour once notified of the oil spill to shut the pipeline down, which is how the spill got so large in the first place.
This is the same company @GovTimWalz trusts to handle Line 3. (4/7)
@Enbridge @GovTimWalz This came from the old Line 3 that @Enbridge wants to expand today.
That pipeline shipped crude oil. The new one ships bitumen - a heavy, unrefined sludge that eventually gets refined into oil. Because it sinks in water, a bitumen spill would be much harder to clean up. (5/7)
That pipeline shipped crude oil. The new one ships bitumen - a heavy, unrefined sludge that eventually gets refined into oil. Because it sinks in water, a bitumen spill would be much harder to clean up. (5/7)
@Enbridge @GovTimWalz If the Line 3 expansion is built, it will doom us and our children to a future of continued pipeline spills across the pristine waters and treaty lands of northern Minnesota. More spills like the Grand Rapids incident are inevitable. (6/7)
@Enbridge @GovTimWalz So today, 30 years from that awful spill, we are fighting to #StopLine3 to make sure it never happens again. Not here, and not anywhere!
Will you join us? linktr.ee/stopline3 (7/7)
SOURCES:
mprnews.org/story/2018/06/…
kaxe.org/post/scott-hal…
Will you join us? linktr.ee/stopline3 (7/7)
SOURCES:
mprnews.org/story/2018/06/…
kaxe.org/post/scott-hal…
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