Following a Michigan Public Service Commission ruling that greenlights Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac, wildlife advocates say they’ll continue to push for an orderly shutdown of the project.
Beth Wallace is the manager of the Great Lakes Freshwater Campaign at the National Wildlife Federation. She says Line 5 poses threats to clean drinking water, as well as tribal nations’ treaty rights in the area.
Wallace contends Enbridge hasn’t been transparent about pipeline issues, and insists a shutdown is the only solution for making headway on wildlife preservation.
“Line 5 has already leaked 35 times along its route. And that’s only dating back to the ’60s, when Enbridge started revealing that information,” Wallace said. “These spills range from thousands of gallons to some smaller-size spills, but there’s already been damage.”
Other organizations in support of a shutdown include Clean Water Action, Oil and Water Don’t Mix, the Sierra Club, and Tribal nations.
However, in 2021, the Consumer Energy Alliance published a report identifying major economic losses for Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania if Line 5 were to be shut down without viable energy alternatives in place.
