On Feb. 2, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hosted a public comment hearing to discuss Enbridge Inc.’s proposed reroute of Line 5. They may have gotten more than they bargained for as nearly 200 members of the American (and Canadian!) public provided comments for 10 consecutive hours.
The current route of this crude oil and natural gas pipeline traverses the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe's reservation. Enbridge’s easement agreement with the Bad River Band expired in 2013, and in 2017 the Tribal Council formally voted not to renew it. Enbridge has continued to operate the pipeline, and the tribe filed a federal lawsuit against Enbridge in 2019, calling for the company to shut down its operation. They have not done so, and instead propose to build 40 miles of pipeline that just barely skirt the southern edge of the Bad River reservation so as to continue to operate the pipeline at its current capacity. Wisconsin’s DNR must approve permits for the project for it to proceed and recently received the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which we will be the primary piece of evidence by which they might decide to deny the permit. The comment period on Wednesday allowed the public to provide their perspective on the draft EIS and the environmental impact of the project.
167 citizens of Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region and beyond provided testimony at a session that was initially planned to run from 4 to 8 p.m. but that ultimately stretched until just after 2 a.m. Thursday. Environmental groups, tribal members, activists and local residents argued the draft EIS contains inaccuracies and inconsistencies, underestimates the risks the construction and likely future leaks pose to wildlife and water, and insufficiently characterizes the threat that continuing to operate this pipeline poses to climate change. Tribal members testified on the threat this reroute posed to treaty rights and their ways of life. Physicians testified on the health threats of oil spills and climate change.
20 of the 167 the comments provided in the public hearing were in favor of the project, multiple of which were provided by Enbridge employees. Their comments discussed the 700 jobs the reroute is expected to generate, as well as concerns about energy reliability if the pipeline were to be shut down.
The DNR has extended the deadline for written comments until April 15. They can be submitted via email to DNROEEAcomments@wi.gov or mailed to “Line 5 EIS Comments, DNR (EA/7),” 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI 53707.