Shut Down Line 5

Most recent update:

Enbridge just proved why we have been so concerned

This Summer, the legal challenge to overturn Line 5 permits continues as Enbridge proceeds with construction, even with court-ordered pauses on their construction at four sites. Enbridge is hastily working to construct the rest of the pipeline, leaving a path of damage in its wake. At the beginning of July news broke that Enbridge crews spilled up to 1,900 gallons of drilling fluid – something that water protectors have been warning regulators and decision makers about for years.

This spill, called a “frac out”, released bentonite clay, which can smother aquatic life, and other additives. The drilling slurry that companies use is proprietary, but reports have shown that in other projects that Michels (the company doing reroute construction) worked on, unapproved additives were also used. In a recent Enbridge pipeline project that Michels worked on, frac outs were reported at 67% of crossing sites where this technique was used. 

Frac outs are just one of many concerns with the Line 5 reroute, and so much is happening right now. There are a number of opportunities to plug in coming up - we hope to see you there in this fight to protect the Great Lakes, tribal sovereignty and our climate!

• July 7, 6pm, online: Line 5 Reroute Update
• July 20 - 26: Week of Resistance to Line 5
• August 20: Oral arguments in Washburn, Wisconsin, regarding the legal challenge (save the date - more info coming soon!)
• Any time: write a Letter to the Editor sharing your opposition.

Take Action: Write a Letter to the Editor

As the work to Shut Down Line 5 and prevent the proposed reroute continues making our opposition is more important than ever! You can use our easy tool to write a short Letter to the Editor (just ~200 words!) about why you oppose this project. 

Write a Letter

Why it Matters

In 2013, Enbridge’s 50-year lease for the Line 5 oil pipeline through the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa expired. Despite Bad River's request that Enbridge remove the pipeline, Enbridge has refused. In July 2019, the Bad River Band sued Enbridge to force them to remove the pipeline. The risk of an oil spill is too high, given the importance of the water in the area for the Band and Tribal members to fish, gather wild rice, etc.

The pipeline is over seventy years old, and Bad River has found parts of the pipeline that are uncovered, presenting increased risk. Most pipelines are buried, but because of erosion, 50 feet of the pipeline is exposed, and some parts are unsupported because the ground beneath it has eroded away. This is extremely dangerous and could lead to a spill.

Bad River has called on Enbridge to shut down the pipeline and to not replace it in the watershed. All of the rivers in the area flow north towards Lake Superior, through the reservation, so moving the pipeline to a different part of the watershed will not reduce the risk to the waters.

Nonetheless, Enbridge is forging ahead with forcing this "reroute" in an area where people do not want it.

This pipeline poses huge risks to our waterways. Enbridge's proposed route is upstream of Copper Falls State Park. This is all on top of the concerns about the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

We need Enbridge to decommission Line 5 to protect Tribal land, the Great Lakes, and the climate.

Learn More: sierraclub.org/wisconsin/line-5