Communities United by Water

Reject Enbridge Line 5

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We are grass roots communities with a long tradition of being united by the waters of the Great Lakes Basin. Rooted in the deep indigenous history of Treaty Territory, we are Native Tribal Nations, local landowners, family farmers, small business owners, elected officials, clergy, elders and children, mothers and fathers—people of all walks of life mobilizing to protect the water here. Our 50-year history is of turning down extractive projects, sulfide acid mining, off-shore drilling, water bottling plants, and all kinds of projects that might have impacted our pristine water systems, the Ojibwe Nation's "Manoomin" and all that leads into beloved Lake Superior.

Photo of Kakagon Sloughs: Jim Meeker/Ted Cline

Who we are

The Dangers of Enbridge Line 5

Each day, Canadian pipeline corporation Enbridge transports up to 22 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids through Line 5 from Superior, Wisconsin through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario.

Line 5 is at imminent risk for oil catastrophes in three Great Lakes. The pipeline is 70 years old, operating 20 years past its engineered lifespan.

Photo: Joe Bates, May 5, 2023

Line 5 is only a few yards from catastrophe into Mashkiiziibii (Bad River) and Lake Superior at the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Springtime flooding and rapid erosion have caused the Bad River to come within 11 feet of the pipeline. The next storm could expose the pipeline to the river's current and rupture oil into the Bad River Band's vast wild rice beds, fisheries, Lake Superior and Madeline Island.

Imminent Oil Disaster into Lake Superior

Enbridge is seeking to reroute part of Line 5 through more than 100 rivers and streams that flow into the Bad River Reservation and the Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs, threatening the tribe's fisheries and cultural survival. The plan harms Copper Falls State Park, numerous trout streams and drinking water aquifers for local residents and family farms along the route.

Line 5 Re-route: Not Needed, Not Safe

Aerial image of drilling chemical pollution at the Mississippi River, caused by Enbridge during construction of Line 3. Photo by Ron Turney.

Construction of the re-route alone would devastate our water and ecosystems. In Minnesota, Enbridge violated its permits and illegally released hundreds of millions of gallons of water from artesian aquifers during Line 3 construction. The company pumped drilling chemicals into groundwater at river crossings. Line 5 has already ruptured 30 times and released over 1 million gallons of oil. 

Enbridge’s Record: Permit violations & oil ruptures

Michigan Gov. Whitmer revokes Enbridge easement under Straits of Mackinac

On November 13, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Dan Eichinger notified Enbridge that the 1953 easement allowing it to operate dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac to transport petroleum and other products is being revoked and terminated. They also filed a lawsuit asking the Ingham County Circuit Court to recognize the validity of this action. Enbridge continues to operate illegally.

Twelve tribes of Michigan sign a letter to President Biden

On November 4, 2021, all twelves Tribes of Michigan signed on to a letter to President Biden asking for Enbridge Line 5 to be decommissioned.

Image by Whitney Gravelle, President and Chair, Bay Mills Indian Community, Enbridge Eviction Event, May 2021.