Several months ago, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Phil Roos halted a key permit for Enbridge’s proposed tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac and reopened the review.
That followed the Michigan Supreme Court’s July 31 ruling, which restored the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and the public trust as the standard for what the state can permit.
On September 9, Governor Whitmer wrote to Enbridge’s CEO, telling the company to stop treating the tunnel as the only option and start removing oil from the Straits now. We welcomed that. But a letter doesn’t bind state agencies, and words without action aren’t enough. With just weeks left in office, the Governor can do more.
A tunnel was never the solution
We stand with the Tribal nations who have led this fight for more than a decade.
Take Action Now
Send a message to Governor Whitmer and EGLE Director Roos and ask them to finish the job and shut down Line 5 for good.
ACTION PROGRESS
Why this matters right now:
- The clock is running. Gov. Whitmer and Dir. Roos took a brave first step in September. With just weeks left in office, what they do now can set the state’s course long after they leave office.
- Words aren’t enough. The Governor’s letter to Enbridge was welcome, but it doesn’t bind state agencies. Formal action does.
- The door is open. The Supreme Court vacated the tunnel approval and ordered a real look at alternatives. That’s our opening to make shutdown, not a tunnel, the state’s official position.
- Taxpayers are footing the bill. Michigan has already put $4 million toward the Corridor Authority, with another $4 million set aside this year, for a tunnel that may never be built.
- The risk is now. The old dual pipelines are still exposed in the Straits today. Every day of delay is another day of risk.