Comment Period Ends June 30: Sign Now

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, is accepting public comments on its draft Environmental Impact Statement for Enbridge’s Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The critical pipeline would replace two others that run across the bottom of the waterway and is part of the Line 5 Pipeline system. 

More than 2,500 advocates have signed the below petition that we previously submitted to the Army Corps during an environmental review comment period. Be sure to add your name if you haven't already! We will submit this with all signatures to the Army Corps before the DEIS comment period ends on June 30.


Dear Secretary:

I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in firm support of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured extensive opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to maintaining the highest level of safety and environmental responsibility.

Enbridge's proactive dedication to safety includes diligent 24/7 monitoring of the Straits crossing, regular inspections and operating the line at less than 25 percent of its maximum design capabilities to minimize stress on the pipeline steel and enhance safety. In November 2017, the company formally entered into an agreement with the state of Michigan outlining seven actions Enbridge was taking to protect the state’s water bodies within the project footprint. The following year, Enbridge announced another agreement with the state of Michigan that put in place enhanced inspection and operations protocols for the project. In the years that followed, Enbridge has continued to work closely with landowners, tribal leaders and safety experts to ensure the safest and most efficient pipeline operation.

There are several reasons why I believe the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project deserves swift approval from the Army Corps and other decision makers, including:

  • Enbridge has a proactive inspection program to monitor the fitness of Line 5, including evaluating the pipe’s interior inch by inch every five years using in-line inspection tools that provide detail on par with MRIs in the medical industry;
  • All products that enter the pipeline are inspected and treated to prevent corrosion, and the system is operated at a low pressure to minimize stress on the pipe – all in an effort to protect the pipeline and the Straits;
  • Over the past several years, Enbridge has paid tens of millions of dollars in property taxes in the state for its energy infrastructure projects, which has been invested in schools, roads and bridges and other important public services;
  • The Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project will create good jobs for the local workforce, many of whom include Local 798 members.

The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured more than adequate opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge has demonstrated a clear plan with the project to help ensure an uninterrupted supply of reliable, affordable energy to Michigan and the region. This is why I ask the Army Corps to efficiently complete this review and approve necessary permits without any further delay.

Signed,

[Names Below]

**Local 798 may submit this petition to state and federal regulators and other decision makers to support Line 5.**

2,695 signatures

See who else has taken this action

  • Russell O'Brien

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Derek Birely

  • Pitts Lynley

  • Roger Burrow Pipeliners Local 798

  • Jt Born Sr

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Charlie White

  • David Burns

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Bob Nagel

  • Nicholas Johnston

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Clark Eastwood

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Julie Black

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Brandin Blake

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Jonathan Black

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Stanley Ingram

  • Rod Kelley

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Gary Pohlman

  • John Davis

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Ricky Jones

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Brian Devillier

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Jeff Wickett

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Juan calbillo

  • William Thieleke

  • D.Brandon Williams

  • Kevin Groves

  • Paden Harper

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • James Brashears

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Jamie Gilley

  • Francisco Ornelas

  • Dustin Russell

    Pipeliners Local 798

  • Brandon DeBolt