Amid public hearings around the state, Michigan LCV calls on state leaders and oil industry groups to get serious about threat posed by Line 5

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters’ offered the following statement in response to public hearings being held around the state soliciting feedback from citizens response to a recently released alternatives analysis commissioned for the State of Michigan.

While the oil industry may have blind faith in Enbridge’s ability to maintain Line 5 indefinitely, Michiganders across the political spectrum and within the larger Michigan business community are taking this threat to our Great Lakes seriously,” said Eric Keller, northern Michigan regional coordinator for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “In the face of a fundamental threat to our Great Lakes economy and way of life, we need to shut it down now and decide on a practical alternative to operating this aging pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.”

Hearings were held in Holt and Traverse City on July 24, and a third hearing will be held tonight in St. Ignace at Little Bear East Arena – 6 PM.

A growing number of prominent Michigan businesses, especially in Northern Michigan, are speaking out about the dangers of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline and calling for it to be decommissioned. Businesses include: Bell’s Brewery, Cherry Republic, Sheppler’s Ferry, Patagonia, BarFly Ventures, Founders Brewing Company, Short’s Brewing Company, among more than fifty others.