Posted Draft EIS Comments

When are we finally going to learn that Mother Nature matters more than greed? Our fresh water and the wildlife and people that count on it SHOULD have more value in the decision making than the fossil fuel industry. A complete environmental review is needed. Our water is special, please do the right thing and not put it at risk. We do not need Line 5!
Thank you

The Trump administration is pushing for Line 5 to go through. This is irresponsible and a danger to the world’s largest fresh water supply, as well as the billions of dollars in business that rely on the Great Lakes. Further, very little of this oil is for the United States. Enbridge, a Canadian company that is responsible for the largest internal oil spill in U.S. history in the Kalamazoo River, wants to use the Great Lakes for a shortcut.

Tunnel Engineer Brian O’Mara points out that the conditions under the Straits of Mackinac are not fit for a tunnel.

In regard to Enbridge’s initial engineering report that supported the oil tunnel, O’Mara called out the following, “They (Enbridge) assumed very good rock conditions, they assumed minimal groundwater inflow, they assumed no toxic gases or methane. Most importantly they assumed that the tunnel annulus, which is the space between the pipeline and tunnel wall, be completely filled or backfilled with concrete … none of those conditions came true.”

In regard to Enbridge’s lack of adequate sampling of the bedrock, O’Mara remarked, “They didn’t do nearly enough borings, they didn’t go nearly deep enough, and they didn’t take the samples where they should have. And despite all of those deficiencies in their study they came back—and the report is open to the public—the rock quality is extremely poor to very poor quality. They grade rocks from 0-100%. 25% of the rock was a zero …This is the worst rock I’ve ever seen anyone think about putting a tunnel in… because the rock is so bad it doesn’t behave like rock, it behaves more like gravel.”

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible to the public and to clean, safe waterways, not to the Trump administration and corporate interests. Please do the right thing and vote your conscience. An oil spill, if this goes through, will weigh on your conscience.

Multiple sources cite that the current fast-tracking of Enbridge’s pipeline 5 operation is ignoring the obvious threats to our Great Lakes. There’s a job at hand to thoroughly review the plans to make sure it is environmentally safe. There is enough evidence to support that it is NOT safe and the plan should be denied. This tunnel project would turn the Straits of Mackinac into an experimental industrial zone for six-plus years of construction, violate Indigenous treaty rights, and threaten the Great Lakes that provide drinking water for 40 million people.

Here are some questions:

The Army Corps received over 77,000 public comments during scoping, with over 90% of Michigan testimony opposing this project when given adequate time to comment. Why are you ignoring this overwhelming public opposition?

This experimental tunnel poses serious explosion risks from submerged methane, would destroy wetlands and endangered bat habitat, and uses an untested design that independent experts warn is dangerous. How can you justify these risks to benefit a Canadian oil company?

Construction costs have already ballooned from $500 million to potentially $1.5 billion, while Enbridge’s own experts testified that removing Line 5 would only increase transportation fuel prices by 0.5 cents per gallon. Why should Michigan bear these costs and risks for such minimal benefit?

Thank you for reading.

To whom it may concern,

I urge you to reject the Line 5 tunnel permits for the following reasons:
1. The geology of the area makes the project hazardous.
2. Alternatives exist, such as transporting oil to the west of Lake Michigan.
3. The oil transported through line 5 has a particularly large impact on climate change.
4. The project is not worth the expense and risk considering the above and the transition to electric vehicles.
Sincerely,
Fred Cepela

The Cheboygan Salmon Tournament along with myself supports the Line 5 tunnel. By upgrading you are avoiding environmental hazards.
Without being upgraded a leak would be detrimental to the Straits of Mackinac and all of its fishing.

Bozho,

My name is Brent Rush. I am an employee of Enbridge and an enrolled citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. I’ve lived in Michigan since 2021, traveling areas of the State from which my Potawatomi, also known as Bodéwadmi, ancestors were forcibly removed to Indian Territory, in what is now Oklahoma, in the 1830s. The Potawatomi are part of the Council of Three Fires, with the Ojibwe and Odawa.

It was with some level of excitement I relocated to Michigan, thinking the Tunnel Project would be a benefit to Tribes by protecting Treaty rights through the protection of the water at the Straits of Mackinac. Unfortunately, excitement quickly turned to frustration as Tribal leadership, and the Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) advising them, continue to fight the Tunnel Project despite its clear benefit for everyone in Michigan who want to protect our Great Lakes.

During my time in Michigan, I’ve worked tirelessly on behalf of Enbridge to foster respectful conversations with Tribes about the Line 5 Great Lakes Tunnel Project, but to no avail. While there have been many one-on-one conversations, there has not been any effort from formal Tribal leadership to simply talk with Enbridge. In fact, it is disheartening to see personal attacks on social media and elsewhere against myself and others who attempt to consult with Tribal leaders.

Some Tribal voices claim they haven’t been heard during the permitting process. I know first-hand this is not true, given the many attempts I and others on behalf of Enbridge have made to engage and to let Tribal leadership know that they can reach out to me at any time. Enbridge wants to consult and work with Tribes and has been doing so in a positive and mutually beneficial way with both Tribes and First Nations in the United States and Canada for many years.

As I continue my lifelong journey, I continue to learn about my culture and our Seven Grandfathers teachings. These teachings positively guide my efforts through Enbridge to consult with Tribes and ensure protection of our Great Lakes.

I encourage other Tribal citizens to join me in supporting the Line 5 Great Lakes Tunnel as the best solution to protect our people, fish, medicines, and sacred places.

Migwetch,
Brent Rush
Enrolled Citizen
Citizen Potawatomi Nation

I am opposed to Line 5. Find an alternative route that does not involve our precious Great Lakes

I’m very concerned about the vulnerability of the aged pipeline on the bottomlands of the Straits of Mackinac. At over 70 years old, Line 5 has leaked over 30 times, putting Michigan’s environment at risk. Even when its oil isn’t spilling into the water, it adds to our climate crisis when burned by spilling carbon into the atmosphere every day.

To Whom It May Concern – I have spent the last 10 years educating, organizing and working to protect 21% of the worlds fresh water here in Michigan. The Great Lakes Bioregion is a sacred and important place in the world. The fresh water making our boundaries that is distinquishable from space, supplies the lifeline to dozens of industries worth billions of dollars annually. One of our most important industries that makes us the 2nd most diverse agricultural state would be devasted by any Line 5 complications. A tunnel as proposed neglects the treaty rights of our indgenious neighbors and threatens the ecologaical sanctity of the Great Lakes themeselves. The lakebed is sacred. We hardly know of the power that it holds. The safety concerns of the tunnel have been well documented. The threat of a bomb effect is horrifying, I don’t need to further explain the outcomes of this worst case scenario.

The cheapest form of energy is utility scale solar. I work in the industry daily. We can replace these fuels with alternative energies that don’t threaten our water like the proposed Line 5 tunnel. We must. We must protect these waters for future generations. I urge you to take this matter very seriously.

Enbridge cannot be trusted. The well documented Kalamazoo River disaster is ongoing and quite frankly will never be cleaned completely. The one constant with Enbridge is human rights concerns. The human trafficking from these types of projects is well documented. These jobs are temporary and dangerous for the communities they operate in. Michigan doesn’t need this product and we certainly don’t need the risks involved.

We stand at a critical moment in history. We will succomb to corporate greed and ill-fated outdated fossil fuel projects or will we work to restore ecological harmony? The Earth is angry and we are reaping the effects of poor quality from Canadian wildfires nearly daily in Michigan. These deep concerns are real and affecting us Michiganders.

Please use your power wisely. Future generations are dependent on fresh and clean water. The future of humanity may very well be in your hands.

Thank you,