No matter where you travel in Michigan, eastern Wisconsin or northeastern Minnesota, you will cross over rivers which drain into either Lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior or Erie. No matter where a pipeline is laid in these areas, the pipeline will cross over or under a river which drains into one of these lakes. In 2010, the Enbridge Line B6 pipeline spilled into the Kalamazoo River, which drains into Lake Michigan. This tragic accident brought much negative attention to Enbridge’s Line 5, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac.

This pipeline was built by Bechtel in 1953. Because it was well engineered and constructed, it has functioned as intended for 72 years. Unfortunately, the pipeline was laid over the lake bottom. The pipe has been hit and dinged by ships traveling outside the official shipping lane but never failed due to these impacts. The pipe’s 0.8-inch-thick walls are strong.

Enbridge is proposing to construct a tunnel into bedrock beneath the straits. The pipeline would then be placed in this tunnel, protected from ships and protecting the water above from a spill. Tunneling in bedrock underwater is well proven technology that has been around for a long time. Successful tunneling projects for transportation include the Chunnel between England and France, the Chesapeake Bay-mouth tunnel and the tunnel from Detroit to Canada.

Upper Peninsula casino owners and those benefiting personally from casino profits, as well as others are against the tunnel and prefer that Line 5 be rerouted around the western Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan, eastward through northern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, then northward into lower Michigan. This rerouted pipeline will need cross into Canada, meaning it must cross the St. Claire or Detroit River. Oil spillage into these rivers would spread into Lake St. Clair and/or Lake Erie. It appears as if those against the Line 5 tunnel wish to transfer the perceived potential spills southward into someone else’s back yard.

While they fight the Line 5 tunnel, Upper Peninsula casino owners and benefactors rely on petroleum products, not to mention the many minerals that are mined in someone else’s backyard. Petroleum products allow casino patrons to drive their petroleum-burning vehicles to the casino on petroleum-product tires while riding over petroleum-product asphalt roads, parking on asphalt parking lots, then gambling inside a petroleum-fueled warm casino.

The state of Michigan has been fighting against Enbridge for 5 years now, doing everything it can to stop the tunnel and shut down Line 5. During this time, Line 5 has continued to operate, potentially risking a spill. It is past time for the state, U.P. casino owners and benefactors to stop their nonsense and get behind the tunnel project. The sooner this tunnel is constructed, the sooner we can all breathe easier.