For Immediate Release: August 17, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Ward | Chapter Director | Sierra Club Wisconsin | (608) 445-4489 | elizabeth.ward@sierraclub.org
Phyllis Hasbrouck | Organizer | 350 Wisconsin| (608) 628-2605 | phyllis.hasbrouck@350Wisconsin.org
Line 5 comments to DNR show the need to reject the pipeline
32,000 comments demonstrate pipeline controversy
MADISON- Today, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) published all of the comments that were submitted in response to the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). 32,000 comments is unprecedented. The DEIS was released in December and the DNR accepted comments through April 15.
In response to the publication of the comments, Elizabeth Ward, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter stated, “while we’re still reviewing the details of the comments, the sheer number demonstrates how controversial the project is. Given the massive ecological damage caused by Enbridge’s hurried and careless installation of Line 3 in Northern Minnesota last year and the very detailed comments that were submitted on the potential impacts of Line 5, it’s clear that the DNR needs to do another analysis. The risks Enbridge wants to place on our climate, Lake Superior, and our waterways require the utmost scrutiny.”
Many of the comments requested that the DNR create a new DEIS that would clearly describe the likely cumulative impacts. In March, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the DNR a list of almost 200 recommendations to improve the DEIS.
Phyllis Hasbrouck, organizer for 350 Wisconsin explained, “Given the impacts to wetlands, waterways, wild rice, and the climate, which were clearly articulated throughout the comment process and in the EPA's letter, we hope to see the DNR deny permits for the pipeline."
A spill on the Line 5 pipeline could contaminate the waterways and wetlands in the area, including the Bad River, the White River, the Kakagon Sloughs, and even Lake Superior. The 1842 U.S. treaty with Chippewa Tribes guarantees them the right to hunt, fish, and gather in the ceded territory through which the Line 5 expansion is routed. This right is nullified if a spill results in contamination of the resources there. Finally, an investment in this new segment of the pipeline would extend the life of the 69-year-old Line 5 pipeline and lock in more fossil fuel use, contrary to the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change report’s recommendation #47, to “avoid all new fossil fuel infrastructure,” at a time when the world needs to rapidly cut its carbon emissions.
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About Sierra Club Wisconsin- The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. The Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter’s 20,000 members work to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin.
About 350 Wisconsin- 350 Wisconsin is an unstoppable movement of everyday people from diverse communities around Wisconsin, working together for justice and an end to the climate crisis. We challenge government, community, and business leaders to rapidly implement the far-reaching changes and solutions we need. For more information, visit 350wisconsin.org.