Campaign to Shut Down Oil Pipeline Under Straits of Mackinac Gaining Support
Politicians joining efforts to find alternatives after USCG investigates whether vessel activity may be causing damage.
The Line 5 pipeline carries petroleum products 645 miles from Wisconsin to Ontario in two pipes that sit in the water along the lake bed.
Governor Rick Snyder is asking Enbridge Energy to accelerate it’s decommissioning of the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. The request comes following a report from the U-S Coast Guard that says damage from vessel activity may have caused an electric transmission line to leak synthetic fluid. Line 5 and the underwater electric cables are in the same vicinity. Coast Guard officials say vessel activity may be the cause of three dents to Line 5. Mike Shriberg is the Great Lakes Regional Director for the National Wildlife Federation. He says state officials didn’t listen to risk analysts.
“An anchor strike was actually listed as the most likely cause of a leak in Line 5, although the consultants for the State said it was a remote possibility. Well the remote possibility just struck three times. We have three dents in line 5.” -Mike Shriberg, NWF
Shriberg says none of the six electric transmission lines, the natural gas pipe or Line 5, under the Straits, have substantial protective coverings. Officials with Enbridge Energy, which owns the 65-year-old Line 5, say the pipeline remains safe despite the newly discovered dents.
