Opinion | Michiganders need the Great Lakes Tunnel

Every day, the natural gas moving through Line 5 sustains the people of Michigan. Our families, schools, hospitals, farmers, airports, and other job providers rely heavily on the energy Line 5 provides. 

If Line 5 were to be shut down, as MSU professor Tracy Dobson suggested last month, the consequences would be disastrous.

• According to the Consumer Energy Alliance, the total economic impact would be around $5.4 billion per year, due to higher energy costs and massive drops in economic productivity.  Thousands of jobs would be lost.
• Propane prices could increase by 10 to 25% in regions dependent on Line 5. This would be disastrous for rural and low-income households in Michigan and particularly harmful to the U.P., where 65 percent of the region’s propane supply would be at risk.
• An estimated 2,100 more tanker trucks would travel on Michigan roads and highways every day, adding roadway congestion and wear to our state’s existing road infrastructure issues.

The reality is that Line 5 is more than necessary; it is an essential piece of our state’s infrastructure. It ensures our energy security and economic stability. A shutdown of Line 5, without viable and immediate alternatives, could lead to devastating disruptions and skyrocketing costs. Despite claims to the contrary, existing alternatives lack the capacity and reliability to match Line 5’s output without causing energy shortages and price spikes.

The good news is that we already have the answer to this “problem”: the Great Lakes Tunnel. The project will take Line 5 out of the Straits of Mackinac and place it in a concrete tunnel far below the lakebed. State of Michigan experts themselves have said this plan would reduce the risk of a spill to “virtually zero.”

Opponents, including Dobson, continue to use the same tired arguments that center on the potential environmental risks of Line 5, citing hypothetical situations. However, the Great Lakes Tunnel is specifically designed to address these concerns. Encasing the pipeline within a concrete tunnel beneath the lakebed significantly reduces the risk of leaks and environmental contamination. This design provides a robust safeguard against the kind of disasters Dobson fears, offering a long-term solution that prioritizes ecological safety.

The Great Lakes Tunnel is the right way to make an already safe pipeline even safer.  Once built, it will ensure continued affordable energy resources, security, and increased safety in the Great Lakes. Of course, it is essential to protect the environment, but that cannot be done by ignoring the other resources we rely on daily. Best of all, this critical infrastructure would be entirely free for Michigan taxpayers. 

Line 5 has been operating safely for more than 65 years. Despite its fantastic safety record in the Straits, Enbridge is working to make it even safer by building the Great Lakes Tunnel. They are spending their money to make the already safe pipeline even safer.   

In Michigan, we care deeply about our lakes and natural resources.  The members of our association are located in every county in Michigan and many are hunters, boaters and caretakers of Michigan’s natural resources. Our members live in Michigan; we vacation in Michigan; we raise our families here.  None of us want to jeopardize our Great Lakes.  Protecting our Great Lakes is paramount to our members. 

We also count on affordable energy and good-paying jobs.  Construction jobs. Manufacturing jobs. Jobs in the chemistry industry.  The tourism and service industries. You name it — Line 5 makes it possible. 

The time to argue about Line 5 and the Great Lakes Tunnel is long past. Now is the time to finish the permitting process and build the Tunnel to protect the Great Lakes and preserve the jobs and energy we need.