An investigation from @AlleenBrown and @jmcjmc451 shows what fossil fuel company Enbridge paid for with its Public Safety Escrow Account in Minnesota: law enforcement, arrests of the company’s opponents and much more. Thread (1/ 10) @grist @EXPOSEDbyCMD
In 2020, Enbridge got permission from the state of Minnesota to replace its Line 3 pipeline and double its capacity—with the condition that the company would “pay the police” responding to civil disobedience in response to the Line 3 decision + other related expenses. (2/10)
@grist and @EXPOSEDbyCMD reviewed every single invoice from the company's Escrow account. In total, it paid out $8.6m+ to police and other public agencies, including at least $240K “for the cost of responding to pipeline-related human trafficking and sexual violence.” (3/10)
The top recipient of Enbridge funds was MN’s own Dept. of Natural Resources, which plays a huge role in monitoring the pipeline for environmental harms. MN DNR got ~$2.1m from the company, in some cases used for protest response & protest training (4/10)
Protestors against the pipeline now say the state’s arrangement with Enbridge violated their constitutional rights—some argue the escrow account “created an unconstitutional police and prosecutor bias” and want their charges dismissed. (5/10)
Data shows funds to law enforcement orgs receiving reimbursements were scattered around the state, beyond the areas nearby Line 3 itself. (6/10)
Trainings and response aside, public agencies could also use the fund for PPE—over half these costs went toward riot gear ($700k+). This graph shows a log scale of total equipment costs (bars) & a color scale reflecting the % of those equipment costs going to riot gear. (7/10)
Enbridge’s escrow account was operated by an independent manager, the MN Public Utilities Commission did not comment on the appropriateness of certain expenses, and MN DNR denied any conflict of interest, according to @AlleenBrown and @jmcjmc451 's reporting. (8/10)
In total, sheriffs and police departments across the state received at least $5.8m in Enbridge funds. Incredible reporting from @AlleenBrown and @jmcjmc451 . Read the story at @grist : grist.org/protest/enbrid…
And find the extended version @EXPOSEDbyCMD : exposedbycmd.org/2023/02/09/doc…
@Jtblaeser @EXPOSEDbyCMD @liberal_party @albertaNDP @NDP @cafreeland @CanadianPress Is this what is happening in Canada with our Police and RCMP forces? And more? @CanadianPM @cafreeland #ConVoy