Capitol News

State Representatives Parker Fairbairn, Karl Bohnak, Cam Cavitt, Greg Markkanen, and Dave Prestin have released a joint statement expressing continued support for the Enbridge Great Lakes Tunnel Project. The lawmakers highlighted the importance of the Line 5 pipeline in supplying jobs and energy across Michigan and the Midwest.

According to their statement: “From rural U.P. communities to the diverse industry of Southeast Michigan, the Line 5 pipeline is critical to providing jobs and energy for people and businesses throughout Michigan and the broader Midwest. Enbridge is going above and beyond to mitigate all potential risks with their operation by proposing a significant investment in our state that would simultaneously protect our environment and secure this key pipeline for many decades to come."

The representatives emphasized that burying the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac would eliminate risks associated with oil spills from anchor strikes. They stated: “Completion of the Great Lakes Tunnel Project means the Line 5 pipeline would be buried deep beneath the Straits of Mackinac, removing any chance of an oil spill caused by an anchor strike. This pipeline has been safely operational for nearly 80 years. However, even the soundest operations can be improved. That’s why Enbridge is proactively trying to make this investment to upgrade the infrastructure and protect the Great Lakes. We agree – and that’s why it is so frustrating to see activists, inside and outside of state government, oppose the project with emotional and political rhetoric, rather than practical and scientific arguments that support its construction.”

They also called on authorities at both state and federal levels to expedite approval processes: “As leaders from throughout Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, we fully support the Great Lakes Tunnel Project and strongly encourage state and federal authorities to move quickly to bring the eight (plus) year application and permitting process to a close and let the construction begin. Enbridge has proven its plan is safe and necessary; it’s time we get this project approved and the work started.”

The proposed tunnel project remains under review as regulators continue assessing its environmental impact.