Economic Study Finds Alternatives for Line 5 Viable and Feasible
An independent economic study has bolstered the fight to shut down Enbridge Line 5. PLG Consulting, a Chicago-based company that takes no position on the issue, "examine(d) the suite of potential market adjustments that could be made in the event of a planned and orderly shutdown of Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline." They conclude "that for both the crude oil and NGLs currently transported by Line 5, there exists a range of replacement options that are both commercially viable and operationally feasible." The report is based on assumptions of a "planned and orderly shutdown" of the pipeline. Find the Executive Summary and the full report at this link. These findings echo a February 2021 study commissioned by Environmental Defence of Canada that found a tiny impact on the cost of fuels will occur when Line 5 is shut down.
Amicus Briefs Support Bad River Band Appeal
The appeal by Enbridge of a Wisconsin federal court order requiring the company to shut down the 13-mile section of Line 5 passing through the lands of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has attracted exceptionally strong support for the tribal nation’s position in several court filings. Twenty-seven indigenous tribes, the Great Lakes Business Network, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and a coalition of Canadian First Nations and environmental organizations submitted amicus briefs supporting the Bad River’s arguments. In addition to the environmental and climate issues raised in these amici, several groups took aim at an amicus filing by the Canadian government in support of Enbridge. The groups contend that the Canadian brief misinterprets a 1977 pipeline treaty between the United States and Canada as overriding both tribal sovereignty and explicit protection of the rights of states and the federal government to apply environmental protection laws to these pipelines. Links to key briefs are found in the footnote below (1).
Michigan Republican Senators Repeat Enbridge’s False Claims
Nonetheless, Enbridge and its supporters, including Michigan's Republican State Senators, continue to inaccurately claim that the impact of shutting down Line 5 would be devastating to Michigan. The Republican Senators sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers urging them to curtail a required environmental review of Enbridge’s proposed oil pipeline tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. In response, the Oil and Water Don’t Mix coalition has “corrected” the lawmakers’ letter to provide accurate information about the project and the dangers posed by Line 5.
WDIV Documentary Asks if Line 5 Puts Great Lakes at Risk?
The truth about Enbridge Line 5 is drawing more attention now with documentaries the explain the complex but troubling issues around the 70-year old, deteriorating oil and NGL pipeline. WDIV Click On Detroit has produced an excellent documentary “Does Line 5 Put Michigan’s Great Lakes at Risk for a Catastrophic Oil Spill?” found at this link.
Take action now!
It’s time to urge President Biden to act to protect the Great Lakes and climate from the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline.
Footnote
1) 27 Tribes File Amicus Brief in Support of Bad River Band's Lawsuit to Evict Enbridge Energy from Tribal Land https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/27-tribes-4-organizations-file-amicus-brief-in-support-of-bad-river-band-s-lawsuit-to-evict-enbridge-energy-from-tribal-land#:~:text=Twenty%2Dseven%20tribal%20nations%20and,Line%205%20pipeline%20from%20its
AG Nessel Files in Federal Court of Appeals Asking for Emergency Shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2023/10/18/ag-files-in-federal-court-asking-for-emergency-shutdown-of-enbridge-line-5-pipeline#:~:text=LANSING%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20Michigan%20Attorney%20General,pipeline%20from%20its%20Reservation%20land.
Amicus brief filed by Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights, Earth Rights International, Center for International Environmental Law, Environmental Defence Canada, and University of Toronto International Human Rights Program.
https://environmentaldefence.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Line-5-Amicus-Brief-docketed.pdf
GLBN Files Amicus Curiae in support of Bad River Band https://glbusinessnetwork.com/2023/10/glbn-files-amicus-curiae-in-support-of-bad-river-band/