Enbridge has released a statement following tribal leaders’ response to the Canadian government’s attempted use of a 1977 pipeline treaty to keep Line 5 open.
According to Ryan Duffy, a spokesperson from Enbridge, “We greatly appreciate the efforts of ‘Team Canada’ – (from the Government of Canada to the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan) … for their commitments and efforts to keep Line 5 open (which is a critical source of energy for the Great Lakes region on both sides of the Canadian-U.S. border). We also greatly appreciate their desire to advance the timely construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel Project. We have spoken with government officials on both sides of the border as the State of Michigan has let parties know it is not committed to further mediation. Enbridge has continued to participate in the mediation process in good faith and still is hopeful that a negotiated resolution will continue to provide consumers and industry in the region with safe, reliable energy and advance the quick construction of the tunnel at the Straits of Mackinac.”
Duffy continued, “Pipelines continue to be a safer, more reliable way to transport fuel than truck, train or barge. These other modes burn far more fuel in order to move it releasing more greenhouse gases into the environment and would increase safety risk along each of those transportation modes. Line 5 has operated safely for more than 68 years at the Straits of Mackinac providing the Midwest and the Great Lakes Region with a much needed source of energy to have that threatened by a single governmental entity creates concerns about energy security as winter approaches and the economy as the region looks to re-emerge from the pandemic.”
Duffy states that Enbridge has invested more than $100 million in safety enhancements to Line 5 to, “better assure the safety of the dual pipelines in the Straits until the tunnel is built. ” This includes safety measures such as Enbridge’s Straits Maritime Operations Center, electronic messaging to large vessels and cameras which monitor vessel traffic.
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