New Pipeline Explosion Shows Why Lines 3 and 5 Should Be Shut down Immediately

For Immediate Release—January 23, 2019

Lansing — An Enbridge natural gas pipeline exploded in Noble County, Ohio over the weekend, resulting in the evacuation of nearby residents and the destruction of two homes. This latest blowout is another incident in the company’s toxic history in the Great Lakes region, raising serious doubts about the viability of Enbridge’s Line 5 in Michigan and Line 3 in Minnesota.

In 2010, Enbridge’s Line 6B was responsible for the worst inland oil spill in the United States in the Michigan’s Kalamazoo River that took seventeen hours to shut down and over a billion dollars to clean up. Another ticking time bomb is Enbridge’s 65-year-old Line 5, which puts the Great Lakes—drinking water for 35 million people and a crucial economic resource—at risk daily.

“Last week, Food & Water Watch and the Oil & Water Don’t Mix coalition called on Michigan Governor Whitmer to shut down Line 5 after a report surfaced that a crucial monitoring system for Straits of Mackinac was offline due to the partial government shutdown. In the wake of the explosion of the Enbridge pipeline in Ohio, we redouble our call on the Whitmer administration to take immediate action to shut down Line 5 operations until the federal shutdown is over,” said Jenya Polozova, Food & Water Watch organizer.

Enbridge is also in the process of replacing Line 3 with a new pipeline, despite a history of pipeline leaks in Minnesota. Regardless of a contested certificate of need and resistance from indigenous tribes and the general public, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has not taken a strong stance against the pipeline.

“The community of Noble County is bearing the consequences of Enbridge’s mismanagement, and this incident, along with many others, show that Enbridge cannot be trusted to operate safe pipelines,” said Food & Water Watch Organizer Andrea Chu. “The region and the country need to move toward renewable energy. We urge Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan to oppose Line 3 and act as true champions for clean air and water and for a livable climate, by continuing to appeal approvals on the pipeline.”

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Contact: Julie Light, 510-992-4083, [email protected]

Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.