Enbridge’s Line 5 is a 645-mile petroleum pipeline that is part of the larger Enbridge Lakehead System. According to Enbridge vice president and president of liquids pipelines, Vern Yu, Line 5 is still very viable. NS: The same day that the governor announced the termination of this easement, the attorney general, Dana Nessel, also filed a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court seeking what’s a called a declaratory judgement. The state’s also alleging that ongoing operation of this pipeline, which the state is alleging is in violation of this easement, puts our public trust resources, puts the Great Lakes at risk. In developing its report, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) chose to conduct its assessment of Easement compliance in a non-public manner. This is a question over whether or not Enbridge has been operating this pipeline legally in accordance with that easement. If this pipeline was shut down, what will that mean for people, homeowners in the Upper Peninsula that rely on that fuel source? Energizing Michigan since 1953. Gretchen Whitmer’s quest to shut down the Line 5 petroleum pipeline. With so many twists and turns in the Line 5 story, it’s hard to keep up with the legal filings and positions from Enbridge Energy Corp., various Michigan governmental agencies and groups trying to stop or keep the pipeline. Line 5 carries oil from Superior, Wisconsin, across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, through northern Michigan, down to the thumb region, and under the St. Clair River to Sarnia, Ontario. NS: Yes, so what’s at issue here is something called the public trust doctrine. Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline runs under the Straits of Mackinac. There are some other liquid gases that are carried in this pipeline, and some of that is diverted in the Upper Peninsula and to be used for propane, for heating homes and that kind of thing. What’s the difference if you have a breach in the water or on the ground soil. There maybe other ideas . A court decision in Michigan could have major implications for the energy security of Ontario and Quebec. If you have a breach in the water you simply scim it off the surface, collect it and use it. Line 5 is particularly notable for passing under the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. The state is in charge of our Great Lakes bottomlands, and the protector of our Great Lakes bottomlands has authority over that submerged ground under the Straits of Mackinac. We’re talking hydrocarbons. GLN Editor’s Note: Great Lakes Now produced a half-hour documentary called “Beneath the Surface” in 2019. Enzyms will eat the residual. I would rather clean up a breach in the water than in the soil. SS: Let’s talk about that risk for a moment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. LRE-2010-00463-56-A19. Your email address will not be published. Participants may join the hearing using both audio and web connections or using audio only. Line 5 Tunnel Project Proposal Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership is seeking approval to build a utility tunnel and to replace and relocate the portion of the Line 5 pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac. That’s a concern that’s often been raised. Whitmer signed an executive order in 2019 creating the Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force. Products moved on Line 5 heat homes and businesses, fuel vehicles, and power industry in the state … Attorney Nick Schroeck and Great Lakes Now Program Director Sandra Svoboda chat about the latest on Line 5. (Image from One Detroit). Enbridge is currently seeking permit approval for the tunnel project and replacement pipeline which, upon completion, will make a safe Straits crossing even safer. Enbridge Energy has filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Michigan, asking the courts to prevent the state from shutting down the Line 5 … The company has also said a Line 5 shutdown would increase fuel prices and harm Southeast Michigan and Ohio … The Canadian company’s filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan seeks an injunction against Whitmer’s shutdown orders. Enbridge in Michigan Line 5 helps heat Michigan homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, fuels vehicles, and powers industry by safely and reliably transporting light crude oil, light synthetic crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL). Participants who wish to speak will have three minutes to comment. But primarily this is a Canadian company using this pipeline to transport its product to Canada through Michigan. Our focus remains on protecting the Great Lakes, the environment and all the people who use these waters while delivering energy that people rely on daily. Enbridge Energy is suing the State of Michigan in federal court in hopes of thwarting Michigan Gov. Public Hearing - Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel. Or like a property interest, they have a license to use this pipeline. Several construction unions, along with the business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers and … To contain and clean up oil from water is easier. This is different than maybe a permitting fight or something like that. But as far as we know right now, the Michigan Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy department as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that also has jurisdiction over Great Lakes bottomlands, they continue working forward through the permitting process as if a tunnel will be built in the future. You can watch that film HERE. And the state is arguing it’s an unacceptable risk and therefore this easement should be terminated. Families and businesses in the Upper Peninsula rely on Line 5 to meet 65% of their propane … Here is an edited transcript of the Schroeck-Svoboda conversation: Sandra Svoboda: We’ve seen so many things happen with Enbridge Line 5. On Tuesday, Enbridge filed suit in Federal court in order to keep their pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, known as Line 5, open. Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline has been operating for over 65 years. Gretchen Whitmer's decision to shut down the Line 5 dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac. Any disruption would have devastating consequences. SS: We did reach out to Enbridge to have someone interviewed on this program. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Your email address will not be published. The DNR rejected Enbridge’s offer to allow technical experts to discuss any questions or clarifications related to its review. Shutting down this infrastructure could cause the shutdown of refineries served by Line 5 … Water and oil don’t mix and oil is lighter than water. The pipeline provides communities across the Midwest with light oil and natural gas needed to heat homes, fuel vehicles, and power businesses and industries. Gretchen Whitmer is moving to shut down Line 5 by revoking and ending a 1953 easement that allows Enbridge Energy to run the dual pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac. The proposed tunnel would house the replacement segment for the Line 5 petroleum pipeline that sits on the bottom … The Rebound West Michigan: State of Education, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel File No. Primarily light crude. Enbridge Line 5 is a major oil pipeline in the Enbridge Lakehead System, which conveys petroleum from western Canada to eastern Canada via the Great Lakes states. SS: And is any of this impacting the plan to build a tunnel under the Straits to replace this aging pipeline? Enbridge's Line 5 has served Michiganders safely without incident at the Straits crossing for more than 65 years, over nine different State Administrations. Now all of that permitting process continues. As Enbridge plans to replace the pipeline with a tunnel under the lake bottom, a permitting process is currently underway aiming at the tunnel’s operation within a decade. Certainly there will be litigation there in Ingham County Circuit Court. 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