Army Corps of Engineers Approves Permit for Line 5 Reroute, Jeopardizing Safety of the Bad River Band, Wisconsinites, and the Great Lakes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to approve the Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin. The project is being rushed through under the directive of the Trump Administration’s energy “emergency” executive order. Construction on the reroute remains at a standstill while an administrative law judge reviews the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ approval permits for the project.

The 645-mile and 71-year-old pipeline has long trespassed through the Bad River Band’s reservation. The DNR’s approval permits allow Enbridge to reroute 41 miles of the pipeline around and upstream of the Bad River Band’s reservation, threatening the same watershed and Lake Superior should it spill.

Last year, over 150,000 comments were submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opposing the reroute and demanding that Line 5 be permanently shut down. More than 60 Tribes, 130 environmental organizations, 200 businesses, 140 health professionals, and 22 health organizations across the United States and Canada publicly oppose permits for the reroute. According to Enbridge’s own expert testimony, shutting down Line 5 would increase the price of gas by less than a penny per gallon in Wisconsin and Michigan.

In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:

Sierra Club Director of Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy Mahyar Sorour: “The Trump administration is willing to risk the clean water of millions and desecrate sacred tribal land in order to help his donors in the oil and gas industry make a quick buck. Legally-required reviews are designed to protect communities from greedy corporations, and rushing through projects like Line 5 will mean folks suffer very real public health and economic consequences of expanded dirty, fossil fuel projects.”

Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter Director Elizabeth Ward: “In fast-tracking the Line 5 reroute, the Army Corps has backed Canadian oil giant Enbridge at the expense of the Bad River Band, Wisconsinites, and the 40 million people who rely on the Great Lakes for safe drinking water. There’s no safe way to reroute this pipeline. Every day that Line 5 continues to operate, our water, ecosystems, and way of life is in danger.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.