skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

New Year brings renewed concerns over Great Lakes Line 5 project

play audio
Play

Monday, January 8, 2024   

The New Year brings a chorus of familiar concerns about the risks of building a 21-foot diameter tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac for oil and gas pipelines.

It has been just over a month since the Michigan Public Service Commission ruled Enbridge Energy could install a new 30-inch diameter pipeline segment in its Great Lakes Tunnel project. But local residents said the decision puts communities and the environment at risk of spills. Enbridge said it would deactivate existing dual pipelines once the new line is installed.

Sean McBrearty, with the advocacy group Oil and Water Don't Mix, said continuing the project risks adverse outcomes.

"Anything short of a shutdown is a grave threat to our environment, tourism, fishing, shipping and Great Lakes' way of life," McBrearty contended.

Enbridge Energy said the Great Lakes Tunnel would keep energy flowing safely to Michiganders and minimize spill risks. McBrearty disagreed, noting the 2010 pipeline rupture was, he said, among the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history.

Oil and Water Don't Mix is planning a "Day of Updates, Education and Action" Jan. 18 in East Lansing.

The Public Service Commission released a statement, saying, "Other modes of transporting Line 5's products -- such as by truck, rail, oil tanker or barges -- likely would increase environmental impairment," including spill risks.

Beth Wallace, Great Lakes freshwater campaign manager for the National Wildlife Federation, said there are plenty of independent reports pointing to alternative options.

"Enbridge's bid or effort to operate this pipeline until failure not only risks critical rights to people, but also important critical habitat to endangered and threatened species across the region," Wallace asserted.

Line 5 transports light crude oil and natural gas liquids, including propane used for home heating in Michigan. Its average capacity is 540,000 barrels per day.

Disclosure: Oil and Water Don't Mix contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Environmental Justice, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

play sound

By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


Environment

play sound

Animal rights organizers are regrouping after mixed results at the ballot box in November. A measure targeting factory farms passed in Berkeley but …

Environment

play sound

Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill but they still want Congress…


Immigration law experts say applying for asylum status can be very lengthy, and that programs such as Temporary Protected Status can fill the void for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

With 2025 almost here, organizations assisting Minnesota's Latino populations say they're laser focused on a couple of areas - mental health-care …

Social Issues

play sound

A new report found Connecticut's fiscal controls on the state budget restrict long-term growth. The controls were introduced during the 2018 budget …

As of August, enrollment in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System had reached 66,114 students, representing an increase of 8.4%, according to state data. (Adobe Stock/AI generated image)

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collab…

play sound

By Julieta Cardenas for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021