The Leelanau Conservancy joins an ever growing number of citizens and Michigan organizations in support of the decision to decommission Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Great Lakes beneath the Straits of Mackinac.
The ecological and economic threats to Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, including Leelanau County’s 150 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, are simply too great. A significant Line 5 oil spill could cause irreparable damage to our freshwater resources—our fisheries and near-shore habitat—and our recreation & tourism economy.
For Leelanau County, Line 5 is mostly risk with little reward. And with winter approaching, it underscores the potentially disastrous impacts of a spill underneath ice cover. Due to the enormity of the threat to our natural and economic resources, the Leelanau Conservancy strongly supports permanently terminating the use of Line 5.
To learn more, visit these sources:
Michigan Technological University. “Independent Risk Analysis for the Straits Pipelines – Final Report.” mipetroleumpipelines.org/document/independent-risk-analysis-straits-pipelines-final-report.
Water Center, University of Michigan. “Worst Case Oil Spill: High Risk Areas Near the Straits of Mackinac.” graham.umich.edu/media/pubs/WorstCaseOilSpill-HighRisk-scenarios-Mackinac.pdf.
