Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities have long warned of the risks that the proposed Line 5 tunnel project poses to the waters, fisheries, and natural resources that sustain Tribal cultures, lifeways, and treaty-protected rights throughout the Great Lakes region. As Michigan regulators consider Enbridge’s request to discharge wastewater into Lake Michigan as part of the Line 5 Tunnel project, there is an urgent opportunity for the public to speak out in support of protecting these shared waters and honoring Tribal interests. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is accepting public comments through June 30, and individuals are encouraged to urge the agency to reject any proposal that would further threaten the lands waters and resources Tribal Nations have relied on.
Community members can also participate in EGLE’s virtual public hearing on June 18 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) via Zoom, which will include a presentation and question-and-answer session before members of the public have an opportunity to provide comments for the official record.
“The tunnel project and the dual pipelines are just two versions of one terrible idea that threatens to destroy our clean water, our fishing, and our way of life for the sake of Canadian profits,” said Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle. “Our choice is not between the dual pipelines and the tunnel. Our choice is between an oil spill in the Great Lakes and a clean water future for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. We simply want government officials to consider the safest, cheapest, and most common-sense alternative: Decommission Line 5.”
TAKE ACTION: Call 517-335-7858 to tell Governor Whitmer to reject the Line 5 tunnel project.
Enbridge’s proposal to run a hazardous liquids pipeline through a confined underground tunnel has never been attempted anywhere else in the world, and tunnel safety experts warn it could cause an explosion in the Straits. Enbridge is responsible for the million-gallon oil spill into the Kalamazoo River in 2010, for breaching multiple Minnesota aquifers during Line 3 construction, and for the recent largest oil spill in Wisconsin history.
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