- Details
- By Neely Bardwell
The Michigan Public Service Commission has requested data and information on the safety risks of Canadian energy giant Enbridge’s Line 5, noting their application to build a proposed replacement for the segment that runs under the Straits of Mackinac lacks in engineering and safety information, including on the risks of explosion. Enbridge has proposed encasing Line 5 in a tunnel beneath the Straits.
In 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer terminated the easement that permits the dual pipeline to cross the Straits of Mackinac. Enbridge continues to use the pipeline, effectively trespassing, as they violate the termination notice.
Should Line 5 break or leak, it will threaten the drinking water of more than 40 million people.
Tribal nations have stressed for years the safety risks associated with the pipeline. The Bay Mills Indian Community has made it clear that this pipeline endangers their community.
“Any decision that may jeopardize the very livelihoods of Tribal Nations deserves serious and careful consideration,” said Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle. “We are grateful the Commission is examining the serious safety risks posed by Line 5 and its proposed tunnel replacement. The Straits are the center of creation for our people, and the construction of a tunnel through this sacred area endangers our livelihoods, our fisheries, and our culture. Every day that the Line 5 dual pipelines continue to pump oil and gas through the Great Lakes amounts to a violation of our treaty-protected rights and an acceleration of climate change. We must stop the tunnel project and shut down Line 5.”
The Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a nonprofit organization focused on defending Tribes’ rights in the courtroom, has been representing the Bay Mills Indian Community along with non-profit public interest law firm Earthjustice.
“It is reassuring to know that the Commission is doing its due diligence in order to accurately consider the impacts, risks, and damages the existing Line 5 oil pipeline and a tunnel would cause for the public, in particular tribal citizens,” said NARF Staff Attorney David L. Gover in a statement “I am hopeful that the Commission will join tribal and state governments in guarding public safety, the local economy, and the Great Lakes ecosystem from a risky and unnecessary project."
More Stories Like This
Apache Stronghold Takes Oak Flat Fight to Supreme CourtFirst Ever Indigenous Marine Sanctuary in U.S. One Step Closer to Reality
CTUIR Leader Corinne Sams Recognized with Prestigious 2024 Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Award
Gun Lake Tribe Releases Lake Sturgeon into Kalamazoo River for 2024 Nmé Celebration
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Decries Environmental Assessment for Proposed Casino Project
Following the release of the U.S. Department of the Interior's final report, we at Native News Online took a moment to reflect on our extensive three-year effort to highlight the traumatic legacy of Indian boarding schools. By covering all 12 Road to Healing events and publishing over 250 articles, we have amplified survivors' voices and illuminated the lasting impact on Indigenous communities. Our work continues. Please consider donating to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools.
