Michigan’s indigenous tribes ramp up efforts to shut down oil pipeline through sacred waters

Line 5 protests through the years

Protesters from the A2 Light Brigade carry signs and sing satirical carols calling own Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to veto "lame-duck" legislation on Main Street on Dec. 10, 2018. The group also protested the passage of Senate Bill 1197, which supports further construction on Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinaw. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com) Jacob HamiltonJacob Hamilton

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Indigenous tribes are asserting their rights under a treaty that predates Michigan’s statehood while pursuing strategies to stop the construction of a new oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.

Tribes concerned about the destructive potential of an oil spill in the Great Lakes have long been opposed to Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, which was built in 1953 without their input. As Enbridge moves forward with plans to replace its 68-year-old pipeline with a tunnel buried under the lakebed, members of 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan are using newfound political pressure and legal tools to protect their sacred waters.

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