MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association – urged the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to move forward with the permitting process of Enbridge’s Line 5 relocation project in northern Wisconsin.
This comes after a federal judge ruled on Friday that Enbridge must shut down a 12-mile section of the pipeline currently operating on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation. Enbridge submitted permit applications to the State of Wisconsin in February 2020 and is still awaiting final approval.
“While we applaud the court’s decision not to immediately shut down Line 5 and allow it to continue to safely operate, the judge’s deadline of three years to complete Enbridge’s proposed relocation project draws more urgency to this matter,” said WMC Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manely. “Wisconsin businesses depend on the energy provided by Line 5 and a shutdown would have devastating impacts on our state’s economy and families.”
Line 5 is critical to the upper Midwest’s energy infrastructure and is vital to Wisconsin’s economy. The pipeline moves up to 540,000 barrels of energy products each day that are used throughout the region. To transport the equivalent by tanker truck, it would require 2,100 trucks traveling across northern Wisconsin roads each day – equal to 90 trucks leaving the Superior terminal each hour.
“It’s been over three years since Enbridge began the permitting process with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, yet no decision has been made,” added Manley. “There is no excuse for this delay, and Wisconsinites who rely on this critical energy infrastructure deserve better. We call on the Wisconsin DNR to immediately approve this project, and allow the relocation work to begin.”
WMC submitted comments to DNR last year in support of the Line 5 relocation project. Click here to read those comments.
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