Question Period Note: Enbridge Line 5

Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which carries Canadian oil from Superior, Wisconsin, through the water of the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac to Sarnia, Ontario, is a concern in Michigan. On November 13, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is revoking Enbridge’s 1953 authorization (its ‘easement’) to operate Line 5 through the Straits of Mackinac. The state is citing alleged violations of the easement agreement by Enbridge in operating the dual Line 5 pipelines over the years, which Michigan sees as an unreasonable oil spill risk, and is giving the company 180 days to cease operations. The Attorney General is also filing a parallel legal challenge, and Michigan’s earlier lawsuit to shut the line also remains pending.

• Pipeline safety is a top concern on both sides of the border.
• Our government supports the continued safe operation of Enbridge’s Line 5, which is a critical economic and energy security link between Canada and the U.S. and delivers feedstock to refineries in Michigan and Ohio, as well as in Eastern Canada.
• Enbridge’s Line 5 has safely operated for over 65 years without incident.
• The people of northern Michigan continue to rely on Line 5 for the security of their propane supply to heat homes and businesses. The pipeline also delivers the crude oil that the state’s refineries need to produce transportation fuel, and supports Michigan’s homegrown upstream oil and gas industry.
• Line 5 has significant socio-economic benefits for Michigan, in terms of jobs, income and government revenue, on top of delivering vital energy to meet the needs of State and Upper Peninsula residents and businesses. It also holds economic importance to the states of Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.
If pressed on supply chains:
• Canada will continue to engage with the State of Michigan and the Whitmer administration in support of the continued safe operation of Line 5.
• This pipeline is a significant crude oil and natural gas liquids supply source for the Sarnia refinery and petrochemical complex, as well as to refineries in Michigan and Ohio.
• Energy security and ensuring everyone has safe, reliable and affordable access to the fuel they need to heat their homes and businesses is of great importance to the Government of Canada.
• This is why we continue to do the hard work necessary to secure reliable supply chains, such as building pipeline capacity, and get our resources to both domestic and international markets, ensuring this sector continues to be a source of good middle-class jobs for Canadians.
If pressed on safety of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac:
• On June 18, 2020, a cable dragged along Line 5 where it crosses the Straits of Mackinac. As a precautionary measure, Enbridge shut down the pipeline, which was reopened with the approval of the US federal pipeline regulator.
• The integrity of the pipeline itself was not compromised, and no leaks were found.
• After its independent review, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) concluded that Line 5 was safe and could restart operations.
• Enbridge continues to monitor Line 5 from a monitoring centre around the clock, supplemented with checks by remotely operated vehicles and human divers at regular intervals.

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