DNR written comment period extended from March 4, 2022 to April 15, 2022.

In addition, written comments can be sent by email to DNROEEACOMMENTS@WI.GOV or by U.S. mail to "Line 5 EIS Comments, DNR (EA/7)," 101 South Webster Street, Madison, WI 53707. All electronic and hardcopy comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than Friday, April 15, 2022.  

January 16, 2022 by Barbara With

On February 2, 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is holding a public hearing on the proposed reroute of Enbridge Energy’s Line 5. The hazardous liquid pipeline conveys light and synthetic crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario through northern Wisconsin and both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan.

Under state law, the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Line 5 must contain information about how the project would impact people, natural resources, and the economy. It must also include an analysis of alternatives to the proposed project. 

Members of the public are needed to weigh in on the draft EIS.

The DNR will also accept written comments through Friday, April 15, 2022.

Public comments should be sent: Email: dnroeeacomments@wi.govU.S. mail:
Line 5 EIS Comments
DNR (EA/7)
101 South Webster StreetMadison, WI 53707

The Danger of Enbridge

Line 5 cuts across the heart of the Bad River Reservation where it continues to operate despite ongoing litigation. Enbridge is also operating Line 5 without permits through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and under the Straits of Mackinac, where they have refused to comply with an order from the Governor of Michigan to shut down.
 
Enbridge proposes to build a new section of pipeline around the perimeter of the Bad River Reservation but still within the Bad River watershed. The construction project—which would stretch for more than 40 miles and cross nearly 200 waterbodies—would allow Enbridge to continue operating the pipeline in environmentally sensitive areas of Wisconsin that also include the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds. Their plans include blasting through the asbestos-rich million-year-old bedrock of the Penokee Hills in order to drill miles of HDD (horizontal directional drilling) under all major waterways in the watershed.

“The State of Wisconsin must ensure that Enbridge is never again allowed to show the kind of disrespect and disregard for environmental regulations they did during recent Line 3 construction in Minnesota,” said Paul DeMain of Honor the Earth, “No further pipeline permits should be given to Enbridge— anywhere in the United States—until they clean up their mess in Minnesota, where they have ruptured aquifers and spilled chemical drilling fluids into our rivers and wetlands. Wisconsin must do better. The safety of our resources and the public trust of our water hangs in the balance.”

 “The draft EIS represents a critical opportunity for the public to provide input on a controversial proposal that continues to move forward, despite the harm it will cause,” stated Elizabeth Ward, executive director of Sierra Club Wisconsin. “Enbridge’s proposal, which could be devastating for the water and wetlands in the area, directly contradicts the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change recommendation to avoid all new fossil fuel infrastructure.” 

“Pipeline construction in the Bad River watershed could cause significant environmental harm that must be prevented,” said MEA Staff Attorney Rob Lee. “This project would also facilitate the continued operation of the entire pipeline, which is nearly 70 years old and has already spilled at least a million gallons of oil.”