Michigan regulators weigh final arguments on oil pipeline project

Two final briefs submitted on behalf of the Bay Mills Indian Community to the Michigan Public Service Commission, wrapping up nearly three years of litigation in a contested case over the proposed Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac.

The pipeline is a few yards from exposure to the Bad River, risking a leak that could spread oil into the Great Lakes.

Debbie Chizewer, Managing Attorney, Midwest Office, Earthjustice: “We are extremely alarmed to see the shrinking distance between Line 5, which is operating in trespass of the Bad River Band, and the raging river current. If government officials don’t use their power to shut down Line 5, this disaster will be on their hands.”

Debbie Chizewer, Managing Attorney of the Midwest Regional Office, Earthjustice: “This 70-year-old pipeline is operating a full 20 years past its design lifetime. Line 5 threatens Tribal Nations and violates the State of Michigan’s shutdown order. It’s time to retire Line 5. Every day that oil flows through the pipeline is another day we risk…

If our leaders were serious about tackling climate change and protecting the Great Lakes, shutting down the Line 5 pipeline would be a layup.

Despite two federal civil rights investigations and a lawsuit, Michigan allowed operations to start

The Bay Mills Indian Community is fighting efforts to extend the life of a dangerous oil pipeline that runs through its tribal territory and one of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems.

Earthjustice Attorney Debbie Chizewer, who represented the five community groups, said the judge’s decision is urgent as Ajax began testing operations this week. “Environmental justice is critically important in this appeal because of the consequences of the facility,” Attorney John Petoskey, representing the community groups, said. “We’re hoping that that was communicated today and it…

Debbie Chizewer, Managing Attorney, Midwest Office, Earthjustice: “It needs to be redone or completely thrown away.”

Five community groups respond to Ajax in a final briefing before the Genesee County Circuit Court. The groups are appealing a decision by Michigan’s environmental agency to allow the Ajax corporation to install a toxic asphalt plant in a predominantly Black, low-income, and environmentally overburdened neighborhood.

Michigan Public Service Commission weighs more testimony on the Line 5 tunnel project

Dangerous mining plans threatened to ruin a pristine wilderness and a town’s thriving economy. Until we stepped in.

Brief in Genesee County Circuit Court responds to Ajax’s arguments, which ask the court to undo the modest pollution controls included in their permit.

Line 5 is a 645-mile pipeline operated by Enbridge Energy that transports crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario. The 69-year-old pipeline has ruptured at least 30 times in the past 50 years, releasing more than 1 million gallons of oil. The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of Tribal Nations across…

In the fall of 2021, Michigan’s environmental agency (EGLE) authorized the Ajax corporation to build a toxic hot-mix asphalt plant near Flint. Close to 3,000 people live within a one-mile radius of the plant site, in a low-income area already overburdened with industrial polluters. The asphalt plant will release harmful chemicals like sulfur dioxide and…

Based in Chicago, Ann’s work focuses on the federal permitting and regulation of fossil fuel transportation and export infrastructure.

In 2020, Earthjustice sued the Trump administration on behalf of the Wilderness Society, Izaak Walton League of America, and the Center for Biological Diversity for improperly renewing two federal mining leases for Twin Metals. When the Biden administration cancelled those leases, Twin Metals sued. Earthjustice is now seeking to intervene on behalf of the conservation groups to defend the administration’s actions.