Line 5 is a huge risk with very little reward. Enbridge has already experienced an oil spill in the Kalamazoo River in Marshall, MI and one in the Great Lakes would be an environmental and economic disaster. Enbridge should have had plans in the works for more than 20 years to replace Line 5 even if it were just another pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac made of new, safer material. If they haven’t acted on existing plans to update an aging pipeline that is well past its prime why would they put forward plans for a tunnel to house the pipeline? Should a tunnel be built for Line 5, I say not on the taxpayer’s dime. This is a private company leasing the rights to use the natural resources of Michigan. Michigan bears the risk. Michiganders won’t be extorted.
It is time to begin the decommissioning of Line 5 unless a better, safer pipeline can be constructed immediately. Many believe Line 5 should be stopped in full right now no new pipeline/tunnel. I do not take that position and here is why . . .
First, if Line 5 were to shut down there would be two choices: Go south around Lake Michigan and then up through southern Michigan to Sarnia, ON or go north around Lake Superior. Enbridge doesn’t want to go north because the terrain is more challenging for pipeline construction and the region north of Lake Superior is very remote and would be more difficult to access in the event of a pipeline breach especially in the Winter months. Plus, a pipeline oil spill into Lake Superior could potentially have impact on all Great Lakes. On the other hand, moving oil south would constrain existing pipelines resulting in higher costs for crude oil and natural gas to reach Michigan customers especially in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
Second, I drive a car. I use gas and it would be hypocritical of me to say “Get rid of a resource that I consume.” It is important to remember the context of our current situation and even though a shift towards electrification is underway we are far from the point where we can divest entirely because we still have so many who rely on natural gas and petroleum for heating homes and transportation.
Third, we do benefit from being a partner with Canadians in the Great Lakes basin. What many don’t know is that two rivers in Ontario Canada have been rerouted to flow into Lake Superior rather than up toward Hudson Bay. This is because the Great Lakes began to experience water level changes after the Chicago River was rerouted to flow into the Mississippi River, dredging became necessary in the St. Mary’s River and the Soo Locks were constructed. These actions all increased the amount of water leaving the Great Lakes basin and had a very fast, noticeable impact around the shores of both Michigan peninsulas. So, in the 1940’s the Canadian Government rerouted two rivers to keep the water level of the Great Lakes stable.
So, while I do believe the risk we all bear for Line 5 is more than the reward we receive the option of a hard shut-down is not a solution I would seek. Rather, Enbridge needs to prove beyond any premonition of doubt that their pipeline is safe through objective, third-party analysis. And, if a tunnel is determined to be the only way to keep oil from entering the Straits its construction should not be paid for by taxpayers in order to fund the capital expenditures for assets to be profited off of and operated by a private company.
It is most important to keep in mind that the current pipeline according to CBC News in 2021 is “an aging pipeline that carries oil along the bottom of the ecologically sensitive and turbulent Straits of Mackinac is in such a state of disrepair it could burst at any moment and cause catastrophic damage to the Great Lakes.”
The volume of water that flows through the Straits is ten times more than the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls every day. At the current 540,000 barrels of oil and natural gas per day rate, if a spill were to occur then 1 million gallons of oil would enter the Great Lakes in just over 1 hour. According to researchers with the University of Michigan the Straits of Mackinac are the “worst possible place” for a Great Lakes oil spill.
A spill must never happen. A decision needs to happen soon or a shut-down may be the only option to avoid the worst case scenario.