Line 5 — the oil pipeline laying in the Straits of Mackinac — is 21 years past it’s intended lifespan. A Line 5 rupture would impact 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, take years to clean up, and would devastate our Great Lakes economy — putting 214,000 Michigan tourism jobs at risk. The Great Lakes are 20% of the world’s freshwater — we can’t afford to contaminate them with oil.
700 miles of shoreline are at risk if Line 5 ruptures
U.P. residents will not lose access to propane. Line 5 only provides propane to roughly 12,000 homes and businesses in the UP and other propane sources and providers already exist. The UP Energy Task Force found several options other than Line 5 with comparable costs.
According to the most comprehensive study done to date, shutting down Line 5 might result in temporary price increases of not more than 5 cents/gallon- well within normal market price fluctuations.
Line 5 provides only a portion of the propane in Michigan and there are better sources to meet the U.P.’s energy needs.
The U.P. Energy Task Force has provided a number of solutions to meet the U.P.’s energy needs and maintain affordability. The state is already implementing these recommendations AND the energy market adjusts quickly. There are several solutions that could be quickly developed and deployed, including:
The U.P. Energy Task force determined 3-4 truckloads or 1-2 train cars of propane per day could replace the U.P.’s reliance on Line 5 propane.
Most refineries in the region are supplied with petroleum from a number of sources. Line 5 is not the only source. For example, PBF Refinery in Toledo asserts that they have no other source of petroleum and would have to shut down without Line 5 and they’d lose 1,000 jobs. However, in investor filings, PBF indicates that they are mainly supplied by 3 pipelines- Capline and Midvalley pipelines from the south, and Line 5 from the north. They also only employ 550 people so how they would lose 1,000 jobs is unclear.
Based on numbers published by PBF, BP Husky and Marathon Refineries, Line 5 appears to supply only about 10% of the jet fuel at Detroit Metro Airport, not 40% as claimed by Ohio Gov. DeWine. Both Marathon and PBF have other crude oil sources, and other pipelines could provide feedstock to satisfy regional jet fuel needs. Alternatively, other nearby refineries in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio could make up this shortfall.
The number of jobs at risk if Line 5 ruptures far outweighs the jobs currently supported by the pipeline.
More than 214,000 jobs are supported by tourism alone, which are at risk if Line 5 ruptures.
Enbridge only employs 116 employees, including contractors.
More jobs will be created by decommissioning and removing Line 5 (2,188 jobs) than by building a tunnel (1,763 jobs).
More than 1.3 million jobs regionally depend on the Great Lakes, creating $82 billion in annual wages.