Line 5, Enbridge’s most recent crude oil pipeline project, is getting closer and closer to reaching fruition. This unnecessary and pollutive expansion is a threat to the people and animals in the Lake Superior region who depend upon clean, unpolluted water and land to exist. We have the opportunity to take this project out at the knees if we come together in a unified resistance to fossil fuel irresponsibility.
This is the time for everyone who is concerned about our water, wetland, climate, and respecting treaty rights to join us.
Recently the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Enbridge Energy’s controversial plan to construct a new segment of the Line 5 oil pipeline in northern Wisconsin. The draft EIS should contain information about how the project would impact people, natural resources, and the economy, and it is sorely lacking. The EIS is meant to accurately and thoroughly assess environmental risks that Line 5 poses, and will be used by the DNR to determine whether to grant Enbridge wetland and waterway permits they need for pipeline construction.
The DNR is taking comments on the draft EIS through April 15 and will host a public hearing on February 2 at 4pm (though we expect it to last into the evening!). This is a critical time period to demonstrate the broad range of concerns around the pipeline. We’re still going through the EIS, but we know it doesn’t adequately address all of the concerns.
This is an all-hands on deck moment.
Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Submit a comment to the DNR about the EIS.
Submit this sample comment, and add your own personal message if you like! The most effective comments include a personal message and are based on your experience or knowledge, but if you are rushed, you can use our sample. Please start with at least a sentence or two about why you care about this issue. You could tell about a special place that you fear will be ruined, your knowledge of a resource that will be impacted, the urgency of stopping climate chaos, or experiences with clean or dirty drinking water, for example.
You can also use these talking points to adapt and change the draft comment below.
2. Attend the virtual hearing and testify for water.
Also crucial to Line 5 opposition is the DNR hearing held virtually on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 starting at 4:00 pm (We plan to make it last as long as possible). This is our biggest opportunity to call attention to the issues associated with Line 5, both as an appeal to the DNR and as a public-facing informational session about why we cannot allow Line 5 developments to move forward. Clicking this link will allow you to register to speak at the hearing. You can testify as to your personal experiences, expertise, or even general concerns about what further expansion of Line 5 would mean for our lands, waterways, and health. If you like, you can even adapt your written comment into an oral format for presentation. Those who register to testify will have opportunities for coaching prior to the hearing as listed below:
- A prep webinar Thursday, January 27, 7:00-8:30 pm. This webinar will be an informational session about the basics of the Line 5 situation, as well as an opportunity to learn tips and tricks for testifying at the upcoming hearing.
- As additional preparation and support before the online hearing, Sierra Club will be hosting virtual office hours to answer questions and provide guidance on Tuesday, February 1, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The link to register for office hours is here.
3. Submit a comment to the Army Corps of Engineers regarding their permits
In addition to the comment period the DNR is holding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also taking public comments on a permit Enbridge needs in order to do construction.
In order to do work under a navigable water of the U.S. and discharge fill material into waters of the U.S., Enbridge needs a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Some of this work involves Horizontal Directional Drilling, which caused extensive damage in Minnesota during Enbridge's Line 3 construction. As part of this permit process, the Army Corps is required to hold a public comment period, which is currently open and runs until March 22. In addition to leaving comments for the DNR, we are mobilizing people to also leave comments for the Army Corps of Engineers regarding their choices to issue permits to Enbridge for further Line 5 development. We will also, through our comments, be requesting that the Army Corps hold a hearing on these permits.
By clicking this link, you will find the appropriate page with which to leave comments for the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as talking points to craft your personal message.
Together we can put a halt to the permit process and stop further expansion of Line 5!
Written by Grace Johnson, Sierra Club Project Aide