Pause on Enbridge Permits Prudent Action That Defends State’s Waters and Bottomlands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2019
Liz Kirkwood, FLOW Executive Director Email: Liz@FLOWforWater.org
Office: (231) 944-1568, Cell: (570) 872-4956 Web: www.FLOWforWater.org
Jim Olson, FLOW Founder and President Email: olson@envlaw.com
(231) 499-8831
Dave Dempsey, FLOW Senior Advisor Email: dave@FLOWforWater.org
(612) 703-2720
In the wake of an opinion by Attorney General Dana Nessel invalidating a law that sought to give away Great Lakes public trust bottomlands to Enbridge for 99 years for a private oil tunnel, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has now ordered state agencies to pause permitting on Line 5, an action hailed by FLOW (For Love of Water), a Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City.
“We welcome the Governor’s swift, prudent action to halt the legal effect of the law and tunnel and side agreements,” said Jim Olson, founder and president of FLOW. “Now, it’s time to bring the existing perilous Line 5 in the Straits under rule of law and decommission it as quickly as possible.”
“The backroom deals creating Enbridge’s proposed oil tunnel couldn’t survive public scrutiny, and now we know they can’t survive the rule of law,” said Liz Kirkwood, Executive Director of FLOW. “It’s time to focus on Michigan’s true energy future and protect Michigan’s Great Lakes and our economy from a Line 5 pipeline rupture. The path forward for Michigan is for Gov. Whitmer to immediately begin the process of decommissioning Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac.”
We are moving in the right direction. We are emboldened by the right ethics. But Enbridge will not go down easily. So pace your enthusiasm and continue to work the case. We all want the same thing, but you are dealing with a big shark and this won’t be over quickly.
For about the 10th time, I would have Dana call FERC and find out where Enbridge is on their request for a pipeline variance. Get advice from FERC. Make friends with a case manager at FERC. Listen to advice from FERC.