I don’t know when Enbridge Line 5 will break. I do know that it will break. The only question is: will it break when it’s carrying millions of gallons of light crude oil through the Great Lakes, or will it break after it’s been safely decommissioned?
This is an issue that I have talked to Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (R-Michigan) face to face about. He told me it’s “an unacceptable risk,” but also that the Upper Peninsula needs propane for the winter, and that the problem is being studied.
A diver points out rusted metal bands on an oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac in this image taken from a video produced by the National Wildlife Federation. Enbridge says the bands are from construction and do not impact the pipeline’s safety.
Calley didn’t tell me anything about alternatives, or a timetable for shutdown.
Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) has talked about shutting down Line 5, but hasn’t said anything concrete, like a deadline.
Here’s a suggestion: shut it down before either gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer (D) or attorney general candidate Dana Nessel (D) have a chance to bring it up again.
Nessel says the attorney general has the authority to shut down Line 5. Her campaign website has a promise to shut down Line 5 on “Day One.” Whitmer has also said she wants to shut down Line 5 on Day One. But what if January 1, 2019 is too late?
So far Gov. Rick Snyder (R) had seemed to have been blissfully oblivious of “an unacceptable risk” with the potential to make Flint look like a minor glitch, trusting that a for-profit corporation will prioritize the long-term health of the Great Lakes over short-term profits.
Until two days ago, when a ship’s anchor dented the pipeline in the Mackinac Straits. Leonard Fleming reported for the Detroit News that Snyder, who was out of the state when the dents were discovered,
called on Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to contact the office of state Attorney General Bill Schuette to pursue “legal actions” against the owner of the ship and others who may be responsible.
Snyder said he wants to require Enbridge to decommission Line 5 and construct a tunnel for a replacement pipeline if studies show the tunnel could be built and wouldn’t cause “significant environmental damage.” Schuette said last June he wants to set up a timetable for the shutdown but hasn’t named a target date.
Enbridge, which operates and owns Line 5, informed state officials that “three small dents” exist in the pipeline due to the anchor but pose no threat to causing a leak, the governor’s office said.
Isn’t Enbridge that same company that responded to a leak in a newer pipeline by pushing more oil through it?
Maybe the crew of the ship that was carelessly anchored will face legal consequences. I’m all for that. But what about not giving another crew the opportunity to make the same mistake?
Snyder should shut down Line 5, if not out of concern for the Great Lakes, out of concern for Michigan Republicans. It would make one of Whitmer’s promises irrelevant.
It’s certainly possible to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. If Snyder does get Line 5 shut down before a major disaster, voters should still not forget where Republicans’ priorities are.