1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Protect the Great Lakes from a dangerous pipeline project I am writing to oppose EGLE’s granting of the NPDES permit for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac. The NPDES permit would authorize the withdrawal and discharge of up to 5 million gallons per day of cooling water from the Straits of Mackinac to allow the construction of the tunnel, as well as various other wastewater discharges associated with construction and operation of the tunnel. The tunnel is a massive undertaking that would create long-term environmental and economic harm for Tribal Nations and communities up north. It will deliver most of its oil and gas back to Canadian consumers. Spills and unintended discharges could occur at every stage of construction and operation of the tunnel. The tunnel project is not a safer alternative to the dual pipelines. It is a false solution that extends the risks of Line 5 for another century. Running a hazardous liquids pipeline through a confined underground tunnel has never been implemented anywhere else in the world, and the center of the Great Lakes is no place for an experiment. Approving the tunnel would directly undermine EGLE’s mission “to protect Michigan’s environment and public health” by extending the risk of an oil spill and facilitating millions more metric tons of carbon emissions each year. The fact is that shutting down Line 5 would have little impact on gas prices or fuel supplies in Michigan, even according to Enbridge’s own experts. Studies show more jobs could be created by decommissioning Line 5 than by building the tunnel project. On the other hand, a massive oil spill from Line 5 could cost billions in remediation, depress property values and devastate local businesses. Yet no federal or state authority has so far considered an alternative that doesn’t include pumping oil through the middle of the Great Lakes. In the face of the Trump administration’s reckless fast-tracking under the guise of a fake “energy emergency,” I urge you to take a stand for the people of Michigan and for the Great Lakes by rejecting this NPDES permit. A Constituent Disgusted With The Way Republicans Are Throwing Away Democracy, And Returning The Country Back To An Age Of Racism & Poverty Of The Dark Ages.