Amidst major gasoline spill in Branch County, Senate Republicans call for more oil and gas pipelines with Line 5 tunnel

LANSING – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters issued the following press release today in response to a call from Senate Republicans to speed up the approval process for the proposed Line 5 tunnel to keep oil flowing in the heart of the Great Lakes. The Senate Republicans call comes as emergency cleanup efforts are underway in Girard Township after a BP gas pipeline ruptured Tuesday evening, spilling more than 8,400 gallons of gasoline into the surrounding area. 

“Some lawmakers want to talk about gas and oil pipelines as job creators and ‘community benefits’ while ignoring the real dangers like what we are seeing before our eyes in Branch County where more than a thousand gallons of gasoline pollutes the local community as emergency responders work to clean it up,” said Bentley Johnson, federal government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “The Line 5 tunnel is fraught with environmental risks, which is why the state of Michigan and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are doing their due diligence in reviewing the permits. We know Line 5 is not essential for our state’s energy needs and represents the single-largest risk to our Great Lakes. State lawmakers should focus on safer solutions for our energy needs rather than being a bully pulpit for a Canadian oil company with a horrendous track record.”