I am writing to request that the Pipeline Task Force recommend that Line 5 be permanently decommissioned.
Line 5, which carries light crude oil and natural gas liquids through the Straits of Mackinac, has not been replaced in six decades. Any sort of leakage from Line 5 could spew toxins into the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water for approximately 35 million people.
Line 5 must be permanently decommissioned. Allowing this ticking time bomb to stay in operation is detrimental to the Great Lakes and the countless people whose livelihoods depend on it.
Why is this important?
Few people know about the 62-year old twin pipelines, known as Line 5, that carries crude oil and natural gas under the Straits of Mackinac putting our Great Lakes at risk of a disastrous oil spill every day!
A 2014 University of Michigan study declared that the Straits of Mackinac is the "worst possible place" in the Great Lakes for an oil spill. The strong currents in the Straits would quickly move oil from a spill, putting our economy, public health, environment and Great Lakes quality of life in jeopardy.
The Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force is currently evaluating Line 5 and will make a decision about what to do with the aging pipeline this spring.
