FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/18/19
CONTACT: Anne Reynolds, 350-Madison
anne.reynolds@350madison.org
ICYMI: Attorney General Josh Kaul withdrawal in Enbridge v. Dane Co.
Madison, WI— When Enbridge announced they were going to triple the amount of oil flowing through the Line 61 pipeline, dozens of community members attended hearings and called on Dane County to take precautions. The county required that in order for Enbridge to place the risk of more tar sands oil running through the county, the company must purchase insurance so that taxpayers would not be on the hook to clean up a spill.
After a 2015 legislative change attempted to prohibit the Dane County requirement, a court battle ensued. Last fall, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, and former Attorney General Brad Schimel submitted a brief in support of Enbridge. On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Enbridge v. Dane County case. Last week, newly elected Attorney General Josh Kaul withdrew this brief.
“From the very beginning, we’ve seen this case as nothing more than a legal maneuver by Enbridge to force Dane County residents to pay for a potential oil spill,” said Anne Reynolds, Tar Sands lead for 350 Madison. “The Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with us last year and we’re happy to see Attorney General Kaul’s withdrawal and view it as an agreement that this case doesn’t have merit.”
“Enbridge has a dismal safety record that includes the Kalamazoo spill, the worst inland oil spill in US history and hundreds of other spills. Tar sands oil is unlike traditional oil in that over time, the tar sands oil will sink to the bottom of a waterway and get stuck, making it difficult and maybe impossible to clean up,” explained Elizabeth Ward with the statewide branch of the Sierra Club. “Wisconsin leaders should be working together to figure out how we can protect Wisconsinites and our waterways from the impacts of tar sands oil, not blocking local communities from taking action,” she stated.
“Tar sands oil is the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive oil in the world. As Enbridge continues to work to pump more tar sands oil through Wisconsin, they are cementing the worst impacts of climate change,” Reynolds added. “In Wisconsin, this means extreme heat, more severe and intense storms, and expanded ranges for illnesses like Lyme disease. Dane County should be commended, not challenged, for questioning the impacts this project poses.”
“This lawsuit and Attorney General Schimel’s brief tried to enable companies like Enbridge as they put the risk of their operations on our communities. We want to thank the attorney general for focusing resources on issues that impact Wisconsinites,” concluded Ward.
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