TOLEDO, Ohio — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer withdrew a federal lawsuit against the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline on Tuesday, but said she would pursue shutting it down through state courts.
That pipeline pumps 23 million gallons of crude oil a day through the Straits of Mackinac, with much of it coming to two refineries here in Toledo.
Whitmer's concern is oil spills. President Joe Biden closed down the Keystone Pipeline earlier this year over the environmental impact, but he’s backed off for now.
Enbridge owns and operates the Line 5 pipeline. Built in 1953, the pipeline goes from Western Canada to Sarnia, under the Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. It carries crude oil and natural gas, propane, and keeps Michigan homes warm in winter.
Much of the 540,000 barrels a day are sent through another underground pipeline from Sarnia, Ontario to northwest Ohio's BP refinery and the Toledo Refinery. The process employs 1,200 people in our area, which is vital to northwest Ohio's economy.
Scott Hayes from the Toledo Refinery says Line 5 is very low-risk for oil leaks.
“The company that owns and operates it is willing and is $100 million into a project to build a new stretch of tunnel in the bedrock, encased in concrete," Hayes explained, "which would be used for other utilities that Michigan sorely needs to get to the U.P., like data, natural gas, other utilities. It would be multi-use and they’re willing to pay for it."
As we get away from fossil fuels, the demand for crude will go down. Still, right now, we need to heat homes.
U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, looks at it from a practical point of view.
“The Left doesn’t understand there are consequences, and the other part of it is it's not just that we’re going to see massive fuel prices this year. This fall, talking propane up 50% from last year, 45% for natural gas," Latta said. "And I’m telling you, this will hit people in the wallet real fast and the administration always comes back with 'we don’t know what we’re going to do' and it’s very simple what we need to do.”
Even U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, weighed in to protect the area, saying, “President Biden has made clear his administration is not looking to immediately shut down the pipeline and halt the flow of crude oil across the Straits of Mackinac. I know that the federal government and the state of Michigan will work together to address the environmental risks posed by Line 5 in a way that preserves good-paying jobs and maintains delivery of fuels critical to manufacturing in our region.”
Scott Hayes from Toledo Refinery adds, “Of that, you’d have to figure out how to get the demand that’s going to be there for the things we use every day, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel. We make a lot of products. Just about everything goes into things you touch, your clothing, the fibers, the stretchy stuff that breathes. Paint, plastics, goods containers, medicine, makeup, conditioner, soap all comes from stuff made here.”
Two months ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked a 1977 treaty between his country and the USA to keep Line 5 open.
Even if Whitmer and the Michigan state courts ruled to close the pipeline, they might not have legal authority over an international utility.