Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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Transcript of Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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8/16/2019 Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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CITY OF SAULT STE. MARIE
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Line 5 is a set of twin, 62-year-old pipelines owned by Enbridge thatcarry light crude oil and natural gas under the Straits of Mackinac; and
WHEREAS, the currents in the Straits of Mackinac at peak olu!etric transportcan be !ore than "# ti!es greater than the $ow of %iagara &alls and switch bi-directionally fro! east to west eery few days, and according to a 2#"'(niersity of Michigan study are the )*orst possible place) for an oil spill in the+reat Lakes; and
WHEREAS, the +reat Lakes contain 2# percent of the worlds fresh, aailable,surface water and are a drinking water source for oer 5 !illion people; and
WHEREAS, the +reat Lakes contain oer .5 percent of the %orth /!erican
continents fresh, aailable, surface water and drinking water; and
WHEREAS, one out of eery 0e 1obs in Michigan is linked to the high ualityand uantity of fresh water in the +reat Lakes; and
WHEREAS, touris! is one of Michigans largest inco!e industries bringing inbillions of traelers dollars spent each year, and
WHEREAS, agriculture, 0sheries, shipping and industry depend on the health of the +reat Lakes, and
WHEREAS, in 2##. the +reat Lakes were linked to oer "35 !illion 1obs, with
Michigan accounting for 5 percent of those 1obs, and
WHEREAS, Enbridge has a known track record that includes ",2'' reportablespills, leaks and releases fro! "..6 to 2#", including a ery large spill in the(pper 4eninsula at rystal &alls, as well as the largest oil spill of any !odern%orth /!erican pipeline co!pany eer recorded as eplained net; and
WHEREAS, Enbridge was responsible for what +oernor Snyders Line 5/disory board labels )the worst oil pipeline land spill in (3S3 history), when line6b ruptured near Marshall, Michigan caused by a failure to 0 known $aggedcracks, and a response ti!e which 1ust 2 weeks prior to the spill, the co!pany in
testi!ony responding to an inuiry on one of the other ",2'' preious leaks,pro!ised a response ti!e of 7!inutes8 , which instead took "9 hours, wasuncoered by locals at the scene, and released approi!ately one !illiongallons of oil into the :ala!aoo 44>%+ of the +%?E
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8/16/2019 Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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pipeline originally designed to lay along the ground, has to hae had supportsdelicately and ad hoc installed, where landslides hae isibly occurred, withpotential for a catastrophic support collapse along the 5 !iles which cross aast creice with unknown stability, with any span beyond a certain lengthleading to a tension snap, which could instantly release ast uantities of oil;and
WHEREAS, Enbridge cannot guarantee the safety of the pipeline across theStraits of Mackinac, risking our fresh waters, our co!!erce, our touris!, our0sheries, and our sense of identity and en1oy!ent in these +reat Lakes, and ourdependence upon the! for our drinking water; and
WHEREAS Line 5 is EnbridgeAs oldest pipeline by a decade oer Line 6b whichruptured, yet clai!s they beca!e aware only with that disaster of its $aws, yetasks us to trust a co!pany which learns of its $aws only /&?E< a !a1or disasterclai!ing safety until ruptures proe otherwise; and
WHEREAS, Line 5 was built before the +reat Lakes Sub!erged Lands /ct wasadopted so it didnt hae to obtain a per!it and ensure that the pipeline would%B? pose a threat to the waters or the publics use of the waters; and
WHEREAS, MichiganAs /ttorney +eneral Cill Schuette has stated Din regards toLine 5 that the 7pipeline wouldnAt be built today8 and that 7the pipelineAs daysare nu!bered8; and
WHEREAS, the oast +uard o!!andant testi0ed before ongress in 2#"5that the oast +uard would be unable to respond eFectiely to an open water oilspill in the heart of the +reat Lakes; and
WHEREAS, there is no plan for how to recoer oil if there was a leak during thewinter when the lakes are coered with ice or under stor! conditions as well;and
WHEREAS, the place!ent of a twin set of oil pipelines across such essentialwaters as the +reat Lakes with the acknowledged possibility of a spill, woulddeastate the +reat Lakes as studies show 1ust "#G to #G of the oil would berecoered, as in the +ulf of Meico, oils would be e!bedded in the sands forgenerations to co!e, the +reat Lakes unlike the +ulf of Meico, are a !ere 2##feet deep rather than 2 !iles, the deastation would be in0nitely greater, far!ore per!anent, and for people of the (pper 4eninsula an (%/E4?/CLE S:
to our lies and lielihoods for generations3
WHEREAS, as Michiganders we hae a responsibility to be wise stewards of thewaters of our state for generations to co!e; and
WHEREAS, the Line 6b rupture in 2#"" into the :ala!aoo rier, led to theshutdown of line 6b, and its replace!ent by a %E* line now twice the capacity
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8/16/2019 Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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of the old, which bypasses the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan and %orthernLake =uron, can carry /LL of Line 5 B>L with ecess capacity to spare ; and
WHEREAS, .9 G of the oils which $ow beneath the Straits of Mackinac are fro!anada and to anada by Enbridges own records, with natural gas beingdispensed in the (pper 4eninsula prior to reaching the Straits of Mackinac and ?=(S not being aFected; and pick up points for B>LS fro! Michigan eist in theLower 4eninsula, /&?E< the lines hae crossed the Straits, !eaning that the .9G of oils $owing beneath the Straits to anada hae eisting alternaties, aswell as a &(?(=>+/% */?E
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8/16/2019 Line 5 Pipeline resolution, Sault Ste. Marie City Commission.
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RESOLUTION DECLARED ADOPTED.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and co!plete copy of aresolution adopted by the ity o!!ission of the ity of Sault Ste3 Marie,ounty of hippewa, State of Michigan, at a regular !eeting held May "6, 2#"6on and that said !eeting was conducted and public notice of said !eeting wasgien pursuant to and in full co!pliance with the Bpen Meetings /ct, and thatthe !inutes of said !eeting were kept and will be or hae been !ade aailableas reuired by said /ct3
ROBIN R. TROYER, CITY
CLERK