Poll: Majority of Michigan voters oppose Line 5 tunnel deal

62% oppose Snyder/Enbridge tunnel deal when they learn its details

(Ann Arbor, MI — November 27, 2018) — A majority of likely Michigan voters oppose the proposed deal between Governor Rick Snyder and Enbridge to put Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline in a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, according to a recent poll commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation. While a majority (58%) support the concept of a tunnel, 62% oppose the Snyder/Enbridge tunnel deal when informed of its details. The poll was conducted by Pollfish of 600 likely Michigan voters between October 29–30, 2018.

“Michigan voters are concerned about a Line 5 oil spill in the Great Lakes and when they learn that the Snyder/Enbridge tunnel scheme keeps Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac for up to a decade, they oppose it,” said Mike Shriberg, Great Lakes executive director for the National Wildlife Federation. “There are safer alternatives for delivering Michigan’s energy needs in the Upper and Lower Peninsula which show that Line 5 is not necessary for our state, and the tunnel itself cannot be built without risk to our Great Lakes.”

Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 is a 65-year-old oil and natural gas liquids pipeline that splits into two pipelines along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Line 5 carries mostly Canadian product from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ontario, with only small amounts of product utilized or produced in Michigan. Line 5 in the Straits — designed for a 50-year life — has a long history of problems, including missing protective coating and structural supports, and a boat anchor strike in April which dented the pipelines. A series of independent reports released earlier this year show that Michigan’s energy needs — including the Upper Peninsula’s propane supply — can be economically replaced by alternative means.

This poll is being released as outgoing lame duck Governor Rick Snyder and some state legislators are trying to rush a deal with Enbridge to put Line 5 in a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac overseen by the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Both Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel have announced opposition to the tunnel deal and an intention to shut down Line 5.

Key findings of the poll include:

· Bi-partisan concern about Line 5 and the risk of spill remain high and in line with previous polling — 82% of Michigan citizens are concerned

· Michiganders continue to support shutting down Line 5 by a more than 4-to-1 margin — 58% support shutting Line 5 down while 12% support keeping it open

While Michiganders are split about a tunnel in concept (58% support) and the Snyder/Enbridge deal in general (42% oppose; 41% support), when exposed to the specifics of the Snyder/Enbridge deal, they turn to opposition (62% oppose Line 5 being in a tunnel in the Straits).