Great Lakes Advocates, Tribal Leaders, and Pipeline Safety Experts Call on Gov. Evers to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 Expansion Project
In response to Governor Whitmer’s renewed demand to shut down Line 5, leaders call on Governor Evers to do the same
MADISON, Wis. – Today, organizations from across the Great Lakes Region are calling on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to halt Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute project in the wake of Enbridge’s catastrophic spill.
Two weeks ago, Enbridge caused the largest Natural Gas Liquids rupture in Wisconsin’s recent history, spilling 31,000 barrels — or 1.3 million gallons — of natural gas liquids. Yesterday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced she will reconsider state permits for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel project and shared her opposition to Line 5 oil in the Straits of Mackinac.
“Yesterday, Governor Whitmer announced that she plans to spend her last three months as Governor cementing her legacy. She will prioritize protecting the Great Lakes from the catastrophic oil spill that Enbridge’s track record is moving towards. Today, we’re calling on Governor Evers to do the same and leave a legacy of putting people and our water above corporate interests,” explained Elizabeth Ward, Director of the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter.
Dozens of organizations sent a letter to Governor Evers and Secretary Hyun earlier today, calling on them to hold Enbridge accountable and shut down Line 5, as Governor Whitmer did. Signatories ranged from local organizations like the Chequamegon Audubon Society to statewide groups like Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and Wisconsin Ecolatinos, and to regional and national organizations like the Great Lakes Business Network and Indigenous Environmental Network. The organizations represent sportsmen, businesses, environmentalists, Indigenous peoples, religious leaders, clean water advocates, and more.
Bad River Tribal Elder Joe Bates, who got the initial footage that made most aware of the spill described what it was like to witness the spill, “I got the call, and I went down to the site. I had no idea what I was about to see. The plumes of gas were like nothing I've ever seen before.” You can view the incredible footage here.
Pipeline Safety Trust Director Bill Caram put the grave nature of this spill in perspective: “We can go back about 40 years of that data, back to 1986. And based on that data, this is the largest pipeline spill of any kind in the state of Wisconsin. [It’s] in the top 5 of highly volatile liquid spills… in the entire country in those 40 years, and it's in the top 15 of any kind of hazardous liquid pipeline spill in that 40 years.”
Beth Wallace, National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Climate and Energy Director, shared her experience with the 2010 Kalamazoo spill and reinforced that these emergencies cannot continue: “Enbridge's active spill in Wisconsin…should be the final example we need from Enbridge on our way to orderly decommissioning this pipeline, which is the only path forward.”
Jadine Sonoda, Sierra Club Wisconsin Campaign Coordinator, called for accountability on Enbridge: “This rupture site is just one in a long history of Enbridge failures. Why are we accepting a company that does repeated damage? I’m not willing to accept that the best we can do is ensure ‘good cleanup.’ Right now we have the opportunity to prevent more harm. Governor Whitmer’s opposition to Enbridge’s tunnel project is the kind of leadership we need to see in Wisconsin. Governor Evers needs to live up to this standard set by our neighbors – anything less tells all of us in Wisconsin that he’s siding with a billion-dollar company over the people he represents.”
View the recording of the press conference here.
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