Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s lawsuit Thursday to shut down an aging, underwater oil pipeline, as well as halt a $500 million replacement tunnel project, could result in huge economic harm to Michigan and Toledo area refineries and perhaps to the general public.
Instead, Ms. Nessel and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should seek a solution with the pipeline operator, Canada-based Enbridge Inc., that will provide environmental protections to keep the oil flowing while a safer underground tunnel is built.
At issue is what is known as Line 5, a dual pipeline that rests on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, the channel connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It carries about 540,000 barrels a day of sweet light crude oil and natural gas liquids from Wisconsin to Ontario.
Enbridge had approval from former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to keep operating Line 5 while it built a tunnel beneath the lake bed and installed a pipeline that, if it leaked, would not damage two of the world’s largest bodies of fresh water.
Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Nessel, both elected in the fall, campaigned in favor of shutting down the underwater pipeline and questioned whether Enbridge’s deal with Mr. Snyder violated the state constitution. Ms. Whitmer says the seven- to 10-year projected period to build the tunnel — and allow the existing Line 5 to operate in the meantime — is too long.
Talks between Enbridge and the Michigan leaders broke off this month, so Ms. Nessel filed a suit in Ingham County Circuit Court, seeking to decommission Line 5 and block the tunnel plans. She contends in the suit that a possibility of a pipeline leak presents “an extraordinary, unreasonable threat to the public.”
Environmental groups have pushed to kill the Snyder deal and shut down the 66-year-old pipeline. Labor unions, however, support the tunnel project.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has urged Ms. Whitmer to keep the pipeline operating, which supports jobs at the Toledo Refining Co. Officials at the East Toledo refinery, which relies heavily on the Line 5 product, say 550 jobs could be lost if there is a shutdown. Also, the BP-Husky refinery in Oregon, the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Detroit, and other refineries would be affected.
Transporting the same amount of oil by tanker truck would be difficult and costly, and industry experts say it likely would raise the price of gasoline in the region, the cost of jet fuel at Detroit Metro Airport, and the price of propane gas to heat homes in upper Michigan.
Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Nessel should work toward a plan to keep Line 5 operating until an acceptable alternative can be put in place. The lawsuit may prompt better discussions with Enbridge, but it would not be a good outcome if Line 5 is decommissioned. The economic hardship that would result from shutting it down without a replacement in place outweighs the current threat of a pipeline leak.
First Published June 28, 2019, 4:00 a.m.
