LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) – Governor Whitmer is calling on Enbridge to ensure that the integrity of the #5 pipeline is intact, despite a report of damage to an anchor support.
The pipeline, which runs under the Straits of Mackinac, has been shut down by the Canadian company since the damage was reported.
Whitmer stated that Enbridge needs to turn over all pertinent information regarding the incident, and that the state needs to know that the integrity of the controversial pipeline is still in place.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement about the situation:
“I was deeply troubled to learn of this most recent disclosure by Enbridge of yet another incident involving Line 5, this time resulting in considerable damage to an anchor support on the pipeline. Yet again, Enbridge has confirmed what we already know – Line 5 is a clear and present danger to our Great Lakes and to the millions of Michiganders who rely on those lakes for recreation, business and tourism. We anxiously await the immediate production of information from Enbridge in response to Governor Whitmer’s request so that we can evaluate what, if any, additional action my Department may need to take. In any event, this underscores why we will continue to vigorously pursue our lawsuit seeking to shut down the Straits pipelines.”
Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, said in a press release that “tragically, the news of significant damage is not surprising, given this is the second time in a month that the Line 5 tunnel has been severely compromised. Two years ago, an anchor nearly pierced the pipeline and it appears this week we again narrowly avoided a catastrophic disaster in our Great Lakes. Enbridge has shown time and again they cannot be trusted to manage this dangerous and damaged pipeline. Serious questions remain: How can we be sure the pipeline will be safe to continue operating? How many more violations and repeated damage will it take for our leaders to shut down Line 5 for good? We need full transparency on how this damage happened, when Enbridge knew about it, and why Michiganders were not alerted sooner.”
Sean Hammond of the Michigan Environmental Council added,
“How many close calls do there need to be before the threat of Line 5 is removed from the Straits of Mackinac? The fact that this damage was only discovered due to seasonal maintenance, shows once again that Enbridge cannot be trusted to monitor the line and protect our Great Lakes. Given the damage to the pipe that other anchor screws have caused and the fact that Enbridge shut down the line, it is impossible for the people of Michigan to believe that this anchor screw suffered ‘significant damage’ from a ‘shift’ but did not impact the pipeline at all. We applaud the Governor for her swift action to insist on greater transparency from Enbridge and that they uphold their duty to not jeopardize our most precious resource.”
