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An Upper Peninsula legislator has ripped Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order that the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline be shut down.
In a statement released Friday, Marquette Democrat Sara Cambensy decried the “lack of leadership and carelessness from the Governor’s office” in deciding to “turn its back on an industry that provides regional and bi-national energy security without having a solid plan to replace Line 5.”
Local State Representative Greg Markkanen and State Senator Ed McBroom have remained silent about the governor’s decision, which was issued earlier Friday.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters supported the decision, and pledged to work swiftly to evaluate alternatives to the pipeline.
Whitmer’s order requires pipeline operation to cease by early May. It came after a state review of Enbridge’s compliance with the terms of the 1953 easement across the floor of the Straits of Mackinac that allowed the pipeline to be built.
The state was particularly unimpressed with Enbridge’s lack of candor and cooperation following an apparent anchor strike on the pipeline last summer. The report also criticizes Enbridge for failing to maintain an adequate physical support structure for the pipeline for years.
The report concluded that the problems constitute violations of the terms of the easement. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a concurrent lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court, asking that the easement be vacated permanently.
Line 5 carries 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas from Wisconsin to Ontario each day. Some of the product is also removed at Rapid River, and converted to liquified petroleum fuel that is distributed throughout the Upper Peninsula. U.P. residents could face higher heating bills without that source.
While environmental groups hailed Whitmer’s decision, Enbridge executive vice president and president of liquids pipelines Vern Yu released a statement saying that Line 5 remains safe, as recently validated by a federal safety regulator.
Enbridge has proposed drilling a tunnel beneath the straits, to carry the pipeline and other utilities. The Whitmer administration opposes that plan.
