Johnson Calls For Shut Down Of Enbridge Pipeline 5

Former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson is calling for the closure of the Enbridge Pipeline 5 if an independent review cannot guarantee it is safe.

The pipelines run through the Straits of Mackinac and response drills have recently been conducted in case of a spill.

Johnson…who is seeking the Congressional seat of Michigan’s 1st District…Michigan and the world depend on the Great Lakes and the impact of an oil leak from an aging pipeline is immeasurable and too important to be risked.

Johnson wants the pipeline to be shut down unless it can be independently verified to be 100% safe.

Enbridge Energy is the same company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history five years ago in the Kalamazoo River.

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Here is the full press release from Lon Johnson:

On Anniversary of Clean Water Act, Lon Johnson Renews Call to Shut Down Enbridge-Owned Line 5 Pipeline

Johnson maintains independent inspection should guarantee safety of 63-year-old pipeline

[Traverse City, MI] – On the 43rd anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Lon Johnson, Democratic candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, renewed his call for the decades-old Enbridge-owned Line 5 pipeline to be shut down if independent review cannot guarantee it is safe.

The Line 5 pipeline’s vulnerability puts the Great Lakes at risk of a disastrous oil spill.  Owned by Enbridge Energy, the same company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history five years ago, the pipeline is more than 60 years old and carries more than 500,000 barrels of oil and other liquid petroleum products under the Mackinac Straits every day. Johnson has called for the pipeline to be shut down unless it can be independently verified to be 100% safe. 

“The public at large have never independently been told the condition of this pipeline, and until we do we should not trust a company with a horrible track record to simply assure us that another devastating oil spill won’t happen,” said Johnson. “We need independent inspection to guarantee that Line 5 is secure, and if not, we should shut it down.” 

Johnson added: “Michigan and the world depend on the Great Lakes. The impact of an oil leak from an aging pipeline upon our health, economy, and wildlife is immeasurable and too important to be risked.”

“The people of Michigan have always been proud and protective of their Great Lakes and their fellow Michiganders. This is yet another opportunity to keep our waters and community safe.”

A recently released Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force Report states that Enbridge “has not fully disclosed the actual results of most of the inspections or the limitations for the test methods used. By not providing the State with actual copies of test results and other State-requested documents, based upon assertions of confidentiality, Enbridgehas limited opportunities for independent expert review.”

More information on this pipeline safety issue can be found here.