LON JOHNSON: SHUT DOWN LINE 5 STRAITS OF MACKINAC PIPELINE

I am calling for the shut down of the Line 5 pipeline that operates in the Straits of Mackinac so that it can be independently inspected and confirmed to be 100% safe.

Currently, this pipeline carries over 500,000 barrels of oil and other liquid petroleum products every day.

This call to action comes on the five-year anniversary of the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history caused by a faulty pipeline, which was owned and operated by the same company that runs the Line 5 pipeline operating under the Straits of Mackinac — Enbridge Energy.

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 pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac is over 60 years old. According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the two largest percentage causes of “significant incidents” involving releases of hazardous liquids from pipelines nationwide between 1994 and 2013 were material, weld or equipment failure and corrosion. Surely, metal and welding from 1953 have their limitations.

To be assured that this pipeline is safe, we need independent testing and information. A recently released Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force Report Co-Chaired by Attorney General Bill Schuette and MI DEQ Director Dan Wyant, 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, Enbridge has limited opportunities for independent expert review.” We cannot afford to blindly trust any entity when the stakes of failure are this great.

Until we can independently inspect and confirm that the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac is 100% safe, it should be shut down.

Lon Johnson