DNC Council On Environment and Climate Crisis Calls on Army Corps Of Engineers To Reject Permit For New Oil Pipeline Under Great Lakes

Last Friday, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved Enbridge’s proposal for a deep, underground tunnel to replace the aging, reckless and unnecessary stretch of its Line 5 pipeline that lies at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes.

In response, Michelle Deatrick, Chair of the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis and a Michigan resident, released the following statement:

“The Army Corps of Engineers should reject the permit for this new dangerous and reckless pipeline under the Great Lakes. Every day that Line 5 operates, we are one anchor strike away from an environmental and economic catastrophe. The actions by the MPSC undermine both President Biden and Governor Whitmer’s climate goals and will do nothing more than help a foreign oil company boost their profits.

“Enbridge is already operating in violation of Governor Whitmer’s shutdown order, and a federal judge in Wisconsin has also ordered a shut down. We stand in support of Governor Whitmer and other officials acting to protect the source of 84% of North America’s surface fresh water, the drinking water of 40 million people.”