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Residents, tribes and climate groups press Mackinac Straits Authority to halt approvals for Line 5 tunnel
Summary
During public comment at the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority meeting, 16 speakers — including tribal members, climate and clean-water groups, and residents — urged the authority and regulators to require full environmental review and to pause approvals of the Line 5 tunnel, citing spill risk, climate impacts and treaty rights.
Dozens of residents, tribal members and environmental groups used the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority public-comment period on March 12 to press the authority and state and federal regulators to halt or further scrutinize the proposed Line 5 tunnel and related permits.
"The tunnel is a false solution," said Julie Griesinger of Oil and Water Don't Mix and the Sierra Club. "Enbridge keeps saying the tunnel will protect the Great Lakes, but all it does is extend the life of a 645 mile aging pipeline that has 33 documented spills." Griesinger and others urged the Corps to complete a full review under NEPA and to allow robust public participation.
Tribal speakers tied the matter to treaty rights and community survival. Denise Petoskey, speaking in her indigenous language and English, described the lakes as the basis of her community's…
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