MLCV: Line 5 tunnel wrong path for Michigan

MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION SHOULD HAVE REJECTED ENBRIDGE’S DISASTROUS PROPOSAL 

LANSING – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters issued the following statement after the Michigan Public Service Commission today approved siting for Enbridge’s proposal to build a tunnel surrounding the Line 5 pipeline in the heart of the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac.

“The commission’s decision to grant Enbridge a path forward on the proposed Line 5 tunnel is the wrong move for our Great Lakes and our entire state,” said Bentley Johnson, Federal Government Affairs Director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “We are extremely disappointed in the commission’s actions today as they ignored warnings from safety and energy experts that a tunnel would continue to leave the Great Lakes and our climate at risk. As confirmed recently by independent logistics experts, Line 5 is not necessary and energy alternatives have been identified that are both economically viable and operationally feasible. With Michigan and the rest of the globe transitioning away from fossil fuels in the future, the tunnel is a carbon bomb and a ‘tunnel to nowhere.’ Fortunately, there are a number of cases still pending in the courts that could very likely result in shutting Line 5 down entirely before a tunnel could even get built. Importantly, there is federal oversight to this project, including a permitting decision before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and President Biden has the authority and responsibility to lead an orderly, planned decommission of Line 5 to pursue real energy solutions for the Great Lakes region. Our way of life in Michigan depends on it.”

Michigan LCV will be in Washington, D.C. next week with other advocates and Tribal leaders urging decision-makers to close this dangerous aging pipeline before disaster strikes.