Organizations in Michigan and beyond say more than 92,000 comments were submitted to Michigan’s environmental regulatory agency opposing the state granting Canadian corporation Enbridge permits to construct the Line 5 oil tunnel.
Tallied by eight groups in Michigan and nationally, the figure represented includes comments submitted to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and correspondences to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE Director Phil Roos that urge these officials to reject Enbridge’s tunnel proposal.
The proposed massive oil tunnel project has been called a “recipe for a disaster" by experts. Yet no government agency has fully studied the entire proposed project’s impact on local communities, the natural environment and Tribal cultural resources. Enbridge’s project would destroy wetlands in the heart of the Great Lakes, directly produce 27 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution annually, and create the risk for explosion in one of the world’s most sensitive freshwater ecosystems that generates billions in economic activity.
Michigan would be on the hook for owning the entire tunnel for at least 99 years, creating potential liabilities for taxpayers while allowing the already aging and deteriorating 645 mile pipeline to continue operating across the length of the state. A federal court ordered Enbridge to shut down Line 5 in Wisconsin in 2024. Enbridge is asking the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to reroute the pipeline despite opposition from the Bad River Band tribe, whose lands could be impacted by the relocated pipeline.
“The thousands of comments submitted to EGLE this summer shows that Michiganders are fed up with the Enbridge tunnel scheme that will keep foreign oil profits flowing from its existing, 72-year-old pipeline through our Great Lakes,” - Sean McBrearty, campaign coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix Coalition and Michigan director of Clean Water Action.
On the heels of the Trump administration’s bogus “energy emergency” directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to bypass a planned full environmental study of alternatives to Enbridge’s proposed oil tunnel, EGLE has the statutory authority to deny permits that would harm water quality, threaten ecosystems, or perpetuate climate risks. Polling conducted this summer found that over 70 percent of Michiganders reject the idea of their officials giving exclusive leasing rights of state-owned infrastructure to a foreign oil company for 99 years. The Great Lakes are irreplaceable public resources that demand the highest level of protection, and EGLE must not allow Enbridge to dodge state oversight through legal maneuvering.
“The thousands of comments submitted to EGLE this summer shows that Michiganders are fed up with the Enbridge tunnel scheme that will keep foreign oil profits flowing from its existing, 72-year-old pipeline through our Great Lakes,” said Sean McBrearty, campaign coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix Coalition and Michigan director of Clean Water Action. “We’re still using our voice over the next several months to pressure Governor Whitmer and her administration to make the right decision and reject the Line 5 oil tunnel.”
Watch a video on why the Line 5 Tunnel is a Dangerous Gamble for the Great Lakes.
“Michigan is on the verge of selling out Americans’ largest source of fresh surface water to a Canadian oil company with a terrible track record,” said Debbie Chizewer, managing attorney for Earthjustice. “Gov. Whitmer has a choice: Bow to the Trump Administration, or protect every American’s right to enjoy and use the Great Lakes now and in the future. The Bay Mills Indian Community and other Michigan Tribal Nations have made their wishes clear: It’s time to get oil out of the Great Lakes now, before it’s too late."
"Because the proposed tunnel will have significant – and potentially catastrophic – impacts on Michigan’s public trust waters and natural resources, and because these impacts can be avoided through available alternatives, EGLE must deny the permit under Michigan’s environmental laws and regulations," said Kacey Cook, staff Attorney for Flow Water Advocates.
“Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel puts us at risk for catastrophic damage to our Great Lakes and the clean drinking water they supply. An oil spill would contaminate the water for tens of millions, cost billions of taxpayer dollars to clean up, and destroy Michigan fishing and tourism,” said Elayne Coleman, director of the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter. “Thousands of people spoke up to say this is not a risk worth taking. Now it’s time for EGLE to make the right choice: stop the Line 5 tunnel, and protect Michigan and the Great Lakes.”
"Enbridge needs to hear us loud and clear: we will not allow a corporation to stomp on Great Lakes protections," said Beth Wallace, Great Lakes climate and energy director for the National Wildlife Federation. "Over 90,000 comments is a mandate to EGLE to do their duty, fully evaluate the risk, harm, and alternatives to Line 5, and above all, not bend the law for anyone."
Copied below are public comments taken from individuals from across the country who contacted EGLE:
“As a Michigan resident who frequently recreates in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, including in the area around the Straits of Mackinac, I am writing to oppose the wetlands and bottomlands permit for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac.” – Christopher R., MI
“I'm not a geologist, nor a scientist. I also am not a moron, which you would have to be to support this egregious assault on the literal foundation of OUR Great Lakes.” – Marcie T., MI
“I myself, like MANY other folx up here in The Great Lakes region, DO NOT want Enbridge in the region AT ALL, after all the pipeline spills & the damage they’ve already done! Do we need energy? Yes! But the potential risks and damage from the Line 5 pipeline, are 100% not worth it! There is no reason why we cannot harness other forms of energy for households and businesses in the Great Lakes region, given a multitude of other options for generating electricity, etc.” Andrea N., MI
“Please reject any new pipeline under the Straits of Mackinaw and close Line 5. Any leakage of oil is almost impossible to clean up, as we know from the oil spill in the Kalamazoo River. Our Great Lakes are a precious fresh water source on this Earth. We have a responsibility to keep it clean and usable.” - Clarice M., MI
“I am a lifelong resident of Michigan who has opposed Line 5 for several years!! Not only should Line 5 be drained, it needs to be shut down. Now I am totally opposed to 'The Tunnel' and all of the further harm it will create!” - Michelle A., MI
“As a Michigan resident who loves the Great Lakes, I am horrified by the idea of an oil tunnel under the lakes. The possible damage is breathtakingly terrible and would likely lead to irreparable damages to our beautiful lakes. Beyond that, we should be transitioning away from fossil fuels to combat the serious climate emergency. Please do everything possible to prevent this oil tunnel!!” - Lisa F., MI.
“The Great Lakes make up one of the most vital freshwater systems on Earth. In addition to providing drinking water to more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada, the lakes sustain more than 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually. Additionally, recreation in the Great Lakes generates $52 billion annually. Put simply, a rupture of the Line 5 pipeline would have a devastating impact on our communities and the Great Lakes economy. The risks are not worth it.” - Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert
“I camped at the Straits of Mackinac before the bridge was built. I have been there regularly ever since. I spend much time on the shores of Lake Michigan. As a resident of the Midwest for decades, and a traveler to many other states and countries, I know the value of our huge amount of fresh water. For this reason, I am writing to oppose the wetlands and bottomlands permit for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac.” - Sharon G., WI
“As a property owner very much at risk of the damage that will be caused by a Line 5 spill I urge you NOT allow it to go forward. “ - Geoffrey G., IL
“Please do not allow this project to go forward. We need more free wind and solar--not more harmful fossil fuels that pollute and destroy our earth. Protect the water, our most precious resource. Don't line the pockets of the oil billionaires. Reject the Line 5 tunnel project!” - Martha B., WA
“I am writing, both as a Director Emeritus of the Alliance for the Great Lakes and a professor emeritus whose second book was on environmental impact statements, to oppose the wetlands and bottomlands permit for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac.” - Paul C., IL
“As a Michigander from birth, my blood is the Great Lakes. I admit, I recently moved away, after the Trump administration came back into office. His dismantling of the EPA should make everyone shutter - for our literal lives and that of future people. Now that there is no EPA that can keep you, EGLE, in check, it is up to you to protect these bodies of fresh water.” – Jennifer F., OR