In a show of cross-border solidarity the heads of the Ontario and Michigan Chambers of Commerce, Rocco Rossi and Jim Holcomb, have written an OpEd in which they outline the economic importance of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. The line carries crude oil from Western Canada, through the US, and back into Canada. The Michigan governor has called for closure of the line on the grounds of environmental risk.
The authors cite the degree to which Ontario and Michigan citizens benefit from the line. According to them the crude supply helps dampen local prices for petroleum products. They also point to thousands of jobs that depend upon its continued operation.
Enbridge proposes re-vamping the line’s installation, especially under Lake Michigan, by burying it in a new concrete tunnel. The company argues that this would virtually eliminate any environmental risk from a pipeline leak. Rossi and Holcomb argue that if the line is closed, crude oil will have to be moved to Line 5’s markets by far more environmentally risky alternatives.
SOURCE: Windsor Star – Line 5