Shut Down Line 5 - No Tunnel

Protecting the Great Lakes: MiCAN’s Fight Against Line 5

A ticking time bomb sits beneath the Great Lakes. One that threatens drinking water for 40 million people.

For a decade, the Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) has been on the frontlines, standing at the intersection of climate action, environmental justice, and the rights of Indigenous and frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis. As a founding member of the Oil & Water Don’t Mix (OWDM) coalition, we’ve worked tirelessly to expose the climate impacts of the Line 5 tunnel, challenging Enbridge in court, and mobilizing communities across Michigan.

We refuse to let Michigan become a sacrifice zone for corporate profit. Together with our partners and communities, we are leading the charge for clean water, a livable climate, and a just future, because the risks of Line 5 are not just environmental but personal. They impact our homes, our families, and future generations. We believe in a future where the Great Lakes remain pristine, where Indigenous sovereignty is honored, and where corporate greed no longer dictates our energy choices. Every action you take helps us move closer to that vision. Join us in this fight—because Michigan deserves better than Line 5.

Key Updates on the Fight Against Line 5

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Decision – mid November
  The USACE’s 30 day comment period has ended and the agency is now in the process of preparing a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). We anticipate a decision to be issued mid November. Line 5 Tunnel EIS Website 
• Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Action Deadline – Dec 13th
  EGLE is required by statute to act by Dec 13 (though they may not necessarily issue a decision, they will update residents on their planned course of action). EGLE’s permit review or regulatory page.
  • Decision Watch with Oil & Water Don’t Mix (OWDM)
    • While we await a decision from EGLE, we are keeping a close eye on EGLE and continuing to apply pressure to Director Phil Roos and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. You can take action and track upcoming actions here.
  • 92,000+ Public Comments Delivered Rejecting Line 5 Tunnel
    • More than 92,000 people urged EGLE and Gov. Whitmer to reject Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel. Some shared concerns include: 
      • Destruction of wetlands
      • Tunnel construction logistics & explosion risks 
      • Continued and increased GHG emissions driving climate change
      • An additional 99-year liability burden on Michigan

READ MORE

• Troubled Water Documentary Released Nationwide on PBS – Oct 4th
  • Watch ‘Troubled Water’ whenever for free via PBS online, the PBS app or see if you can catch it live on your local broadcast! 
  • Beginning October 4th you can follow this link to watch via PBS on your own schedule.
  • Interested in hosting a viewing party for your community? Hop into the MiCAN Community Space and post about it to invite the entire network!
• Michigan Supreme Court Oral Argument – 2026
  • The Michigan Supreme Court announced that they will hear two challenges to the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) permit for Enbridge’s proposed tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac for their Line 5 oil pipeline. A coalition of four Michigan tribes; the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi – along with the Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Michigan Climate Action Network, has filed one challenge.
  • Another comes from For Love of Water (FLOW). Both appeals argue that the Michigan Public Service Commission failed to properly follow state law when approving Enbridge’s permit for the Line 5 tunnel. We anticipate this hearing to take place early to mid 2026.
  • You can read more on the reporting of the upcoming oral argument in this Bridge MI article.
    

Line 5: Far From a Great Placement

Every day, nearly 23 million gallons of oil flow through two aging pipelines in the heart of the Great Lakes, known as Line 5. Operating 21 years past its expected lifespan, this 645-mile pipeline runs from Alberta, Canada, to Sarnia, Ontario, cutting through Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Straits of Mackinac, where Line 5 runs 4.5 miles along the lakebed, is one of the worst possible places for an oil spill. The fast currents and extreme weather make cleanup nearly impossible. A spill could contaminate over 700 miles of shoreline, devastating ecosystems and treaty-protected fisheries. Federal agencies, including the EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard have warned that existing resources are insufficient to contain a spill in the Straits.

Enbridge’s History of Oil Spills

Enbridge, the Canadian-based oil transport giant that owns Line 5, has a long record of environmental disasters. Its Line 3 and Line 6B pipelines caused two of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history, releasing nearly 3 million gallons of oil into Midwest waterways.

Additionally, about one-third of the oil transported through Line 5 is refined at the Detroit Marathon Refinery, located in 48217, one of the most polluted zip codes in the country. This predominantly Black community has asthma rates 46% higher than the state average, with frequent air quality violations linked to increased cancer and respiratory diseases. Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure will only worsen these environmental injustices.

Watch this informative video to learn more about Enbridge’s spills and their devastating impacts.

MiCAN’s Work: Exposing Enbridge's Climate Impact

MiCAN has been on the frontlines:

• Leading legal challenges against Enbridge’s tunnel permit alongside tribal nations and environmental groups.
• Mobilizing thousands of Michiganders to submit public comments, sign petitions, and pressure lawmakers.
• Fighting for climate justice, ensuring the voices of impacted communities, especially Indigenous nations and frontline Black and brown communities, are heard.

The Climate Cost of Line 5

• The tunnel project will lead to a net increase of 27 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
• Michigan has committed to 100% clean energy by 2040—yet new fossil fuel infrastructure directly contradicts these commitments.
• This report from the Institute for Energy, Economics, and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shows that the Line 5 tunnel is not even in Enbridge’s financial interest.

The Legal Battle

Michigan’s Fight Against Line 5

• 2019: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit to shut down Line 5 after serious damage to an anchor support was discovered. After six years of legal delays by Enbridge, the case is back in state court. Read more.
• 2020: Governor Gretchen Whitmer revoked Enbridge’s easement and ordered the shutdown of Line 5 due to its threat to the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for over 40 million people. Enbridge continues to operate Line 5 in violation of this order.
• March 18, 2025: The 6th Circuit Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Enbridge v. Whitmer. You can access the recording here. 
• June 30, 2025: The Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) and the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) submitted comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, calling on the agency to include climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) considerations in its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the proposed Line 5 Tunnel Project under the Straits of Mackinac. Read more about it.

Permits vs. Protection: The Legal Frontline

Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC)

• December 2023: MPSC approved Enbridge’s tunnel project, despite overwhelming public opposition.MiCAN and environmental groups challenged the decision in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
• January 2025: The court denied the appeal, but the fight is not over. Watch the Press Conference and MCOA Oral Arguments.
• February 2025: MiCAN delivered an appeal letter with signatures from 1057 individuals and 49 organizations & businesses to Governor Whitmer. 

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

• 2021: EGLE granted a permit for the tunnel, which was challenged by the Bay Mills Indian Community.
• 2025: Enbridge re-applied for a wetlands permit, which MiCAN and ELPC opposed through comments we submitted. Enbridge failed to carry its burden to satisfy the requirements of Michigan law. The proposal calls for six years of intensive construction across 15 acres of interconnected wetlands, using a 24-foot tunnel boring machine to excavate a four-mile tunnel under the Straits and remove over 400,000 cubic yards of material. Enbridge has not addressed the climate impacts of the project, and EGLE has so far declined to require a full analysis of alternatives.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

• The federal review of the tunnel’s environmental and cultural impacts is ongoing.
• A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be available for public comment in Summer 2025. We will keep you updated on how you can make your voice heard!

Michigan Supreme Court 

• March 2025: MiCAN, alongside Tribal Nations and environmental partners, has officially petitioned the Michigan Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals' decision to uphold Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel permit. The permitting process fundamentally failed to address critical risks such as the threat of oil spills, climate consequences, and the violation of Tribal sovereignty.
  
  This case challenges the Michigan Public Service Commission’s failure to uphold the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and the public trust doctrine, which requires the state to safeguard natural resources for the benefit of all. This is a defining moment in our legal strategy to protect the Great Lakes, our climate, and our collective future. You can read the full filing brief here.

Indigenous Sovereignty & Enbridge’s Expansion Plans

For generations, Indigenous communities have fought to protect their lands and waters from corporate exploitation. Line 5 is yet another example of fossil fuel infrastructure violating Indigenous sovereignty and threatening cultural traditions.

• Built Without Consent: In 1953, Michigan granted Enbridge an easement to build Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, violating existing Anishinaabe treaties and threatening a sacred fishing ground.
• Trespassing on Tribal Land: As Line 5 snakes through Wisconsin, it crosses the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s land. The tribe has rejected the pipeline and is suing Enbridge for trespassing in a federal lawsuit.
• Man Camps & Violence Against Indigenous Women: Temporary “man camps” built near pipeline projects have been linked to increased rates of sexual violence, trafficking, and disappearances of Indigenous women and children.
• Enbridge’s Expansion Plans: Instead of shutting it down, Enbridge is seeking a reroute in Wisconsin and an underground oil tunnel in Michigan, prolonging the risks for up to 99 more years.

Not Just a Resource

For Indigenous communities, land is more than just a resource. It is life, identity, and spirituality. The Line 5 pipeline and proposed tunnel not only threaten the Great Lakes but also deepen historical injustices. 

Learn More: You can go here to learn more about the impact on Indigenous communities. You can also watch the documentary “Bad River,” which highlights how the Bad River Band is fighting Line 5. Stream on Peacock or visit the website here.

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