Posted Draft EIS Comments

The Line 5 tunnel project should not be approved at all, let alone fast-tracked. There is no “energy emergency” that requires this tunnel or indeed any more fossil fuels at all. The data is overwhelming and clear: today, solar energy is the cheapest and most efficient source for energy. It doesn’t contribute to climate change, dirty air, and oil spills that destroy biological life and indigenous communities. If anything should be fast-tracked, it’s solar energy. In addition to Line 5 being wholly unnecessary for our energy needs, it has not undergone a comprehensive risk assessment, and many tunnel experts agree that the risks of placing a tunnel under a lake bed are substantial. Again, because we don’t need the oil, there is no need to risk the catastrophe of an oil spill in the Great Lakes. Moreover, tribal nations have rights that are not being honored and indigenous communities, directly affected by this tunnel, have not been meaningfully consulted. Finally, if you don’t care about clean air and clean water and climate change and indigenous communities, consider the negative economic impacts of this proposed project: more than 1.3 million jobs are directly tied to the Great Lakes, along with billions of dollars in tourism Approving this tunnel locks us into decades of fossil fuel dependency to the detriment of people and the planet, for no good reason,

The Line 5 pipeline is an unnecessary and outdated piece of infrastructure that poses a serious risk to the Great Lakes while offering minimal benefit to Michigan. The vast majority of the petroleum products transported through Line 5 serve the Canadian market, not the United States. Only a small fraction—less than 10%—of its output supplies propane to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The argument that Line 5 is essential for the UP is misleading; the Upper Peninsula is not an island, and propane can be delivered safely and reliably by rail or truck, as is already done in many other rural areas. Continuing to operate Line 5 through the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac endangers one of the world’s largest sources of fresh water for the sake of foreign oil interests, not Michigan families.

Please reject LINE 5

I live in Kalamazoo, site of the worst inland oil-spill in US history, which occurred in the Kalamazoo River in 2010. The company responsible for that spill was none other than Enbridge. This catastrophe severely damaged one of the state’s most beautiful and ecologically important waterways, adding to the river’s legacy of corporate abuse which includes a buildup of dangerous levels of dioxin and PCBs behind its many dams left there by the paper industry. We are being told, once again, that a foreign corporation wants to pump tar-sands oil through the pristine waters of Lake Michigan . No!! We do not need this oil, it is simple corporate opportunism. Our state has made significant progress in alternative energies, and this is where our efforts should be placed. Michigan is not a sacrifice zone, and no community should be treated as such. I urge you to deny this permit.

We need to move forward with clean energy! Creating a tunnel will only help the oil companies and continue to pollute our air & water. Wasting $$$$ to disrupt great sections of our lake, to build a tunnel, to perpetuate a thing of the past. It’s time we move forward, looking to a cleaner better future by using the cleaner energy methods we’ve learned!

As a librarian working with Indigenous Michiganders, and an advocate for environmental protection for 50 years, I have followed the issue of the Line 5 Tunnel for many years.
More than 1.3 million jobs, equal to $82 billion in wages, are directly tied to the Great Lakes: an oil spill would be disastrous for Michigan’s economy and drinking water. We’ve seen how harming the drinking water affected Flint, and an oil spill under the lakes would affect far more people. The public needs to understand the trade-offs.
Please allow more time for assessing the risks and for consulting with the Tribal nations.

I strongly urge the opposition of the Line 5 pipeline. Construction of this new tunnel and its potential for oil leaks pose numerous threats, especially to tribal fishing rights and livelihoods. Please consider rerouting the pipeline outside of the straits. Continuing to run the product through the current pipeline still poses a risk of leaking due to sustained damage from dropped anchor. Other options need to be considered!

The Line 5 tunnel project has not undergone a comprehensive risk assessment, which is crucial for a project that poses risks to the Great Lakes, our climate, and our future.
Many tunnel experts who have reviewed Enbridge’s plans share concerns for the logistics of placing a tunnel under the lakebed, considering it to be complicated, dangerous, and technically challenging. Experts also share concerns for the workers who are subjected to the dangerous pipeline construction and operations.
The supposed “energy emergency” used to justify fast-tracking this project is false and politically motivated, and should not override public safety and environmental protections.
An oil spill in the Great Lakes would be catastrophic for drinking water, wildlife, and Michigan’s economy. More than 1.3 million jobs, equating to $82 billion in wages, are directly tied to the Great Lakes.
Approving this tunnel locks us into decades of fossil fuel dependency, exacerbating the climate and public health crises; it must be thoroughly assessed for its greenhouse gas emissions and health impacts before proceeding.
Tribal nations and Indigenous communities have not been meaningfully consulted. Their rights, treaties, and voices must be honored.

I do not approve of a tunnel to shrowd Embridge Pipeline 5. I don’t trust the integrity of a tunnel nor Embridge!s ability to protect our waterways. No fast tracking!