Supplemental Draft EIS Comments

As a person who lives near the Kalamazoo River, I have experienced firsthand the long term adverse effects of pipeline fissures. Our community has learned what it is to be paid off by a corporation that could never truly clean up its mess. Our watershed has been devastated, and our fishing and recreation has been forever changed. I cannot imagine putting our State's giant bodies of water at risk.

I am opposed to the Line 5 expansion. Instead, please invest in renewable energy sources.

It makes little to no sense to destroy sensitive environments while carrying oil from Canada into Michigan, to be used back in Canada. Fossil fuels are directly responsible for a significant portion of air and land pollution. Further, the prospective company to do the work was solely responsible for the Kalamazoo River oil spill. Please preserve Michigan's natural ecosystem.

The unknowns and risks to drilling under the straits are too great to chance. The straits are a migration path for a variety of waterfowl. They are a connection between the two peninsulas of our state ; all the resources available to Enbridge and our state and nation should be able to come up with a better alternative than the tunnel.

Doubling down on another pipeline under the Straits feels like clinging to the past. Even with HDD, the risk to one of the most fragile freshwater ecosystems in the world is huge, and every new fossil fuel project locks us deeper into environmental harm. Instead of pouring money into replacement pipelines, we should be investing in renewable energy infrastructure that actually moves us forward, like wind, solar to protect the great lakes!

As a lifelong Michigan resident, outdoor enthusiast, and parks professional, I oppose the HDD Installation Alternative for the Line 5 replacement project in the Straits of Mackinac. HDD is well documented to pose a significant risk of “inadvertent returns,” where drilling fluids escape into surrounding soils or waterbodies. Peer-reviewed studies have reported inadvertent return rates ranging from 5% to over 40%, especially in geologically complex settings like the Straits. Even so-called non-toxic drilling fluids can smother benthic organisms, increase turbidity, and damage critical fish spawning habitat. The Straits’ strong and rapidly shifting currents would spread any release quickly, making containment nearly impossible. This ecosystem also contains culturally significant Tribal resources, unique underwater landforms, and essential spawning grounds for lake whitefish that are highly sensitive to disturbance. My experience managing Michigan’s parks has shown me how even small disruptions to these habitats can be irreversible. HDD also fails to address the larger danger of transporting crude oil through the heart of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes hold 84% of North America’s surface fresh water, and oil released in cold freshwater is known to degrade slowly and harm fisheries, wetlands, and recreation economies. Although the Applicant claims that technological advances make HDD “feasible,” feasibility does not mean the method is safe or appropriate for this fragile location. The fractured glacial geology beneath the Straits and the pressures required for long-distance drilling still present unacceptable risks. For these reasons, I urge the USACE to reject the HDD Installation Alternative and to pursue solutions that remove the Line 5 oil-transport threat from the Great Lakes entirely.

Dissent.

I’m commenting to say I don’t support the Line 5 tunnel. The Great Lakes are literally the last place we should be gambling with another oil project, especially under the Straits. We’ve already seen spills in this state and how long the damage sticks around. I don’t want to see that happen again.

It also doesn’t make sense to dig a massive tunnel under our freshwater just to move oil that mostly isn’t even for Michigan. The risk is ours and the benefit really isn’t.

I’d rather see us invest in safer, cleaner options instead of doubling down on something that could screw up the water we rely on. So I’m asking you to deny the permit.

I am concerned about the long term environmental effects on the waterways and aquatic populations. Prioritizing oil companies over wind and solar energy will always be baffling, we are running out of time to save our planet.

The Line 5 pipeline is an imminent threat, and building a tunnel to house it is no solution. Construction would destroy wetlands, disrupt aquatic habitats, and perpetuate our reliance on fossil fuels during a critical time for climate action. Worse, the tunnel poses risks of explosion from natural gas liquids, shifting financial liability to Michigan taxpayers for 100 years.

It is not only a threat to Michigan but all states surrounding the Great Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior. Accidents Happen ~ Water Flows. Thank You!