Shut Down Line 5

Most recent update:

Semi truck rolled into excavation site, ruptures Line 5

On August 25, a semi truck rolled into an excavation site that's part of the Line 5 reroute project and ruptured the existing Line 5 pipeline. Line 5 and other fossil fuel infrastructure pose risks like this every day they operate. The plume of gas that was released led to local homes being evacuated and concerns remain about the health and other impacts of this breach. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the pipeline was struck around 10am, and Enbridge reported the accident to the federal Environmental Protection Agency at 11:02am and to the DNR at 11:15am. 

Context is important: this spill happened while Enbridge has been moving as fast as possible to construct the Line 5 reroute amidst legal challenges to their permits. Across the 41-mile project local monitors have been documenting Enbridge's work and raising concerns about intimidation as we've seen multiple drilling failures throughout the summer. 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. You can see a recap of these concerns in the new report, Destruction and intimidation: Enbridge's Line 5 construction impacts so far.

Given this rupture, and all the other impacts, The Department of Natural Resources sent Enbridge a request to stop working. Residents in the area have reported that Enbridge continues to do construction-related activities.

Here's what you can do:

Tell Governor Evers and WDNR Secretary Hyun to revoke Enbridge's permits for Line 5. Take action here. 

Share the video (Facebook and Instagram) and ask your elected officials what they will do to hold Enbridge accountable for continuing to destroy and pollute our landscapes.

Support the monitors who have made Enbridge’s mistakes and damage transparent.  Support the drone operator who got the footage and has been doing constant monitoring with a donation to his CashApp at $DavidJoeBates. Contact Jadine Sonoda at jadine.sonoda@sierraclub.org if you’d like to support Joe through something other than CashApp. 

Support the Bad River Band by donating at: https://www.defendthebadriver.org/donate  

Write a Letter to the Editor sharing your opposition. Find tips for writing the letter here. 
 

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