EDITOR:

As someone who was born and still lives in the U.P., I understand the unwavering feelings of those who have voiced their concern regarding Line 5 and the need to protect the Great Lakes and our state’s precious natural resources. I want to make it clear to all Michigan residents that Enbridge, and our Straits-based team, goes to great lengths to safely operate and maintain Line 5, delivering the energy needed to keep Michigan’s economy growing, neighbors employed and vehicles in motion.

Pipelines play a vital role in our everyday lives and are essential to our quality of life. In the U.S. there are more than 2 million miles of pipelines that are essential to keep a 12-trillion dollar economy progressing. Pipelines are proven to be the safest, most economic, environmentally friendly means of transporting energy and are an important part of North America’s energy infrastructure.

I supervise some of the most talented crews in the Midwest as they perform maintenance on Line 5 everyday, which is a critical component in the longevity of equipment and the safe transportation of energy. We believe the pursuit of safety requires vigilance, caution, innovation and hard work. Constructing a utility tunnel will offer the greatest possible safeguards to the Straits crossing while maintaining critical connections of infrastructure ensuring Michigan residents have the energy systems they depend on.

Line 5 also carries a Michigan natural resource of light crude oil; and over its lifetime has successfully transported about 80 million barrels (and counting) of Michigan-based crude to market and is the primary conduit for this production. The State of Michigan receives around $61 million dollars annually of tax revenue from our property taxes. We invest in the communities where we live and operate our pipelines. In 2017 alone we donated more than $400,000 dollars in community-strengthening initiatives across Michigan. These numbers are important to us because they’re not just your communities; they’re our communities, as we live here too.

Enbridge has been safely delivering energy through the Straits for 65 years without incident. It’s because of our core values of safety, integrity and respect that we have been so successful in maintaining the integrity of the Straits crossing. It comes with always being a good neighbor.

Brian VanOss

Technical Supervisor

Escanaba