Watch Press Briefing: Challenge to Line 5 Tunnel Permit
Tuesday, January 14, Noon EST
Join us in standing up for Michigan’s natural resources, public health, and climate by signing our letter of support.
Nearly 23 million gallons of oil daily flow through two aging pipelines in the heart of the Great Lakes, known as Line 5. Line 5 operates 21 years past expectancy and spans 645 miles across the Midwest, transporting oil from Alberta to Sarnia, Canada. Not only does Line 5 put the Great Lakes at enormous risk from an oil spill, but the oil carried by this pipeline, once refined and burned, creates a vast carbon spill into the atmosphere.
Enbridge is a Canadian-based oil transport giant that owns and operates Line 5 and over a dozen other pipelines across the US. The Midwest is no stranger to Enbridge as they are responsible for two of the largest oil spills in US history. Watch this informative video to learn more about Line 5 and how Enbridge’s Line 3 and Line 6B collectively spilled almost 3 million gallons of oil into and near our Midwest rivers.
Roughly ⅓ of the oil transported through Line 5 is refined in Michigan at the Detroit Marathon Refinery, located in the 48217 zip code—widely regarded as the most polluted in the state and one of the worst in the country. This community, composed primarily of people of color, faces asthma rates 46% higher than the state average. The refinery is in an area that fails to meet national air quality standards for dangerous sulfur dioxide, and since 2013, the facility has violated state air quality regulations 21 times. Adding more oil from Line 5 only deepens the environmental and health injustices already disproportionately affecting these residents.
American Lung Association Article: Detroit Metro Area Ranked 13th Worst in Nation for Annual Particle Pollution, According to the 2024 ‘State of the Air’ Report.
Enbridge is now attempting to replace the pipeline with an oil tunnel that would continue to carry millions of gallons of climate-harming fossil fuels through our state daily - for up to 99 more years. The pipeline would drill into the bedrock below the straits of Mackinac, further making an irreversible impact on our ecosystem. There is no doubt that extending the life of this pipeline would exacerbate climate change and intensify the impacts we are already experiencing in Michigan.
The burden should be on Enbridge to calculate climate impacts from increased greenhouse gas emissions resulting from their proposed tunnel project, but they made no effort to do so. Instead, MiCAN and ELPC had to do this work. In 2021, with your support, we successfully persuaded the MPSC to conclude that MEPA requires that these climate impacts be considered. Read the 2021 Letter of Support Here!
Despite receiving detailed testimony from our experts and contrary to its own prior 2021 order to consider climate impacts, the MPSC’s final order approving the tunnel project failed to adopt or apply any methodology to quantify or value these climate impacts. MiCAN and ELPC will continue to appeal these decisions until justice is served and our leaders are committed to a more sustainable future.
When asked, "Do you agree that shutting down Line 5 and investing in cleaner energy alternatives is the most sensible action?" The majority of Michigan House candidates who responded said yes. However, what’s more revealing are those who chose not to answer. Discover how your candidates responded to this and other critical climate questions at our Climate Voter Hub. You'll also find resources to check your voter registration, explore local initiatives, get tips on discussing climate issues, and discover ways to take meaningful action beyond voting.
You can also do your part by signing this petition to protect the Great Lakes from another Line 5 oil spill:
Have you already signed the petition? Ask Governor Whitmer and EGLE to deny the reissue of the EGLE tunnel permit:
Want to learn more from the indigenous perspective? Stream BAD RIVER - An astounding feature documentary from the perspective of The Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who live with a 12-mile stretch of Line 5 eroding on their land and way of life. Stream the film on Peacock, or visit the BAD RIVER website for more information:
Additional information on Line 5 & Enbridge
We've known that the Line 5 tunnel does not serve the public's best interests, and this report from Institute for Energy, Economics, and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shows that it doesn't serve Enbridge's best interest, either. Their review of testimony and documentation in proceedings on the matter, evaluations produced by stock and bond analysts, and information from other pertinent sources, concludes that:
- Enbridge's proposed tunnel project faces rising costs. Based on risks and construction inflation, the project may ultimately cost three or more times as much as initially estimated.
- Enbridge faces an expensive project to re-route Line 5’s Wisconsin segment, and ongoing litigation related to Line 5 in Michigan and Wisconsin could result in a shutdown.
- Enbridge should question whether it makes sense to keep sinking money into an old pipeline when markets for its products are on a declining trajectory.