Megan Wittman, megan.wittman@sierraclub.org
MACKINAC, Mich. – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on the proposal to enclose the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac in a tunnel.
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced its sham energy emergency executive order, fast-tracking plans for the tunnel. The Army Corps’ DEIS comes out just a day after 170 people rallied outside the Mackinac Policy Conference, calling on Governor Whitmer to block the plans for the tunnel, as Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has the authority to stop the tunnel by denying an environmental permit for the project.
“We’ll be digging in the Army Corps’ DEIS; however, our position on the tunnel and Line 5 has not changed. Line 5 remains an existential threat. Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes – our most valuable freshwater resource – skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits. We can’t drink oil. We can’t fish or swim in oil. Michiganders have made loud and clear that they do not want the tunnel moving forward. Governor Whitmer has an opportunity to step in and cement her legacy as a champion of the Great Lakes. The safety of our water, our children and families, can’t wait,” said Anne Woiwode, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter.
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.