Late Senator worked with power line opponents in the 1970s

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At noon today on our Midday program, we'll air a new historical documentary, "Powerline Blues." It's the story of a mass movement of farmers who tried to stop a high voltage transmission line in west central Minnesota in the late 1970's. The struggle caught the attention of a young Carleton College professor named Paul Wellstone. He later co-authored a book about it, Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War. In this report, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure looks at how the protest helped shape the man who went on to the US Senate as a champion for the little guy against the power structure. Listen today at for the new documentary "Powerline Blues" -- It will air at 12 noon on MPR's midday program.

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Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.

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