Enbridge Line 5 could destroy the Great Lakes. But it can’t be shut down because then we’d have to pay a little more for gas at the pump. We don’t care that Enbridge has disrespected the aboriginal peoples of the region, and we don’t care that Enbridge has been dishonest and less than forthcoming about the pipeline failures that have already occurred under land, but we care about paying a few dollars more for things we take for granted.
If Enbridge Line 5 is shut down for even just a few days, we will see higher gas prices almost immediately. Well, guess what, that has already happened: Line 5 was temporarily shut down while the company verified an anchor strike didn’t damage the fragile pipeline.
Enbridge didn’t want to reveal the anchor strike had even occurred, and they made that frightening disclosure only because otherwise they couldn’t sue the company that owns the ship that carelessly dragged its anchor through the Mackinac Straits.
Gary Street debunks the myth of high gas prices for Michigan Advance.
On June 18, 2020, both 20-inch lines that comprise Line 5 at the Straits were shut down due to an anchor strike on the east line. On July 7, 2020, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel allowed the west line, which was not damaged, to resume operation. The east line did not resume operation until Sept. 10, 2020.
The west line was shut down for 19 days, and the east line for 83 days. With both 20-inch lines down for 19 days — a little over 2 1/2 weeks — no crude was transported. None. The east line was down for nearly 12 weeks. The crude crossing the Straits was 50% of its normal amount during that time.
It was a real-world experiment of the effect of a permanent shutdown on gasoline prices. Still, there was no price impact.
A permanent shutdown of the dangerous pipeline would lead to an increase in gas prices of less than 1¢ per gallon. Some estimates indicate an increase of not even a halfpenny. That justifies risking a catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes? Could the thing about northern Canadians freezing to death also be a myth?
And remember: newer Enbridge pipelines have already broken under land. It was bad, but nowhere near as bad as an oil spill in the Great Lakes.
Tell President Biden: shut down Line 5.