Stand Against Line 5

by | Oct 11, 2022 | Michigan

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation hosted a solidarity event supporting Line 5 Shutdown and Tunnel prevention on Sunday, October 9, 2022, at Frog Island in Ypsilanti, Michigan. 

Line 5-8

Stand Against Line 5

Three things you can do:

  1. Submit your public comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by October 14! 
  2. Vote! Support the candidates who stand against Line 5
    1. Governor Whitmer is working to protect our water by shutting down Line 5
    2. Attorney General Dana Nessel opposes the continued operation of Line 5 within the Straits of Mackinac
    3. Michigan Supreme Court has a pair of seats open in the November election. We need those seats filled by justices who support shutting down Line 5
  3. Talk about it. There are people that don’t know there’s a 70-year-old pipeline under the straights of Mackinac. Call Governor Whitmer and our Attorney General, Dana Nessel.  

Flow for Love of Water

Join FLOW today so you can stay informed and help stop the Enbridge Oil Tunnel. A few things I learned:

  • Line 5 carries nearly 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids each day. It was built in 1953 to last 50 years, Line 5 is nearly 70 years old.
  • Outside the Straits, Line 5 has failed at least 33 times since 1968, spilling more than 1.1 million gallons of oil in Michigan and Wisconsin. 
  • A Line 5 oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac could strike a $6 billion blow to Michigan’s economy, communities, and natural resources. 

There is more on the Flow Line 5 Factsheet. I encourage you to read it so you’ll be informed too.  

Oil & Water Don’t Mix 

Another excellent recourse is the Oil & Water Don’t Mix – Keep Oil out of the Great Lakes site. 

Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer revoked the easement agreement that allowed Enbridge, a Canadian pipeline corporation, to use the Great Lakes bottomland for its Line 5 pipeline. This is what you need to know about why the easement was revoked and required to stop operating in the Straits of Mackinac. This Great Lakes pipeline is now breaking the law, and the proposed Great Lakes Tunnel is not an answer for America’s most dangerous pipeline.

This animated video created by David J. Schwab of the University of Michigan Water Center with support from the National Wildlife Federation shows the wide extent to which an oil spill beneath the Straits of Mackinac could impact Great Lakes’ ecology, wildlife, and coastal communities. The U-M Water Center is a center of U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute.

Water Makes the Mitten

The event on Sunday, October 9, 2022, included a sing-along and speech from local leaders such as Andrea Pierce, Chair and founder of the Anishinaabeck Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, and Michelle Deatrick, the founder and chair of the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis.  

Water-Makes-The-Mitten-23

Water-Makes-The-Mitten-28

While listening to their words, I couldn’t help being grateful for being there. Sitting in the Frog Island Amphitheater with the Huron River just feet away, the tall cottonwoods shading us, you could hear Mother Nature asking us all to get involved and shut down Line 5. 

Water-Makes-The-Mitten-42

Water-Makes-The-Mitten-41

More Pictures

Water-Makes-The-Mitten-6

We’ve got a few more shots from the Water Makes the Mitten event in our gallery. Please take a peek and let us know what you think. Leave a comment and show some love by sharing this post. 

Become a Supporter!

Please become a supporter of Life In Michigan! We need people like you who enjoy our stories to help us keep Life in Michigan going strong. If you have the means, consider showing your support on our Patreon Page.

Share the news if you enjoyed the story on your favorite social media venue, or send it as a link to your friends and family. This is good for everyone!

Stay Connected

We’d love it if you’d like our Facebook page. After you subscribe to our newsletter, Life In Michigan posts are delivered directly to your email box. You can also find us on Instagram

Cheers!

Recommended Reading