RE: Line 5 Tunnel EIS. Docket No. COE-2022-0001

Dear Secretary:

I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in urging the U.S. Army Corps to issue necessary permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project, a $500 million private investment in Michigan’s energy and economic future.

Much of the concern regarding the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project is centered on the threat of an oil spill in the Straits and the potential impact on the Great Lakes. However, Enbridge continues to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining a high level of safety, including the 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.

Enbridge has consistently demonstrated a commitment to maintaining the highest level of safety, particularly with the Line 5 pipeline. In November 2017, the company formally entered into an agreement with the state of Michigan outlined seven actions Enbridge is taking to protect the state’s water bodies within the project footprint, including implementing additional safety measures to mitigate impacts and overall increased coordination with the state regarding operations and maintenance of Line 5. The following year, Enbridge announced another agreement with the state of Michigan that put in place enhanced inspection and operations protocols for the project.

Overall, I believe the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project deserves permits from the Army Corps due to the following reasons:

• 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;
• In 2018 alone, Enbridge paid nearly $8 million in base salary to Michigan employees and approximately $60 million in property taxes in the state for its energy infrastructure projects, which was then 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.

Enbridge has demonstrated a clear plan with the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project to safely and efficiently deliver energy to homes and businesses. This is why I ask you to approve necessary permits without delay.

Signed,

Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project Supporter