The Line 5 Pipeline

Line 5 is an aging pipeline run by multibillion-dollar Canadian oil conglomerate Enbridge Energy. The pipeline currently pumps 23 million gallons of crude oil and methane gas liquids daily through northern Wisconsin. For more 10 years, Enbridge's operation of Line 5 has illegally trespassed on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation, violating the Tribe's sovereignty and threatening the waters of Lake Superior.

Now, Enbridge is attempting an invasive reroute project to expand Line 5 and allow the fossil fuel giant to profit from the pipeline for years to come.

The dangerous reroute project would take place just outside the reservation's borders, crossing 180 permanent and intermittent streams, wetlands, and other water bodies. An oil spill could eviscerate local economies and generations of cultural practice and identity for members of the Bad River Band, who have relied on the wild rice, the fish, and the watershed for centuries.

To move forward, Enbridge needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In May, the Corps announced a public comment period for its draft environmental assessment of the reroute. This is a key opportunity to share your concerns with the Corps and uplift how Line 5 threatens water, climate, and treaty rights. The Corps' draft is insufficient and should be upgraded to a robust Environmental Impact Statement analyzing the full impacts of Line 5. Above all, given the risk Line 5 poses, the Corps should ultimately reject the permit and stop Enbridge's plan.

ACT NOW: Urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Oppose Enbridge's Plans and Reject Line 5!

Enbridge Pipeline 5, or Line 5, slices across Wisconsin along the Lake Superior shoreline and through the Bad River Reservation. Now, it’s old and falling apart – a ticking time bomb that could spill crude oil into our waters while continuing to make us dependent on fossil fuels. The time has come to shut this antiquated pipeline down.

Enbridge’s Line 5 is an outdated pipeline that transports 22 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids across 645 miles of our countryside every day – from Superior, Wisconsin, across Tribal Lands, through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, and to refineries in Ontario, Canada.

The pipeline was originally permitted in 1953 without the consent of the Tribes and before the establishment of most of our bedrock environmental protections. The more than six decades old pipeline – long past its intended operational lifespan – poses a catastrophic risk to our water, natural areas, freshwater resources, and farmland. The risk to Tribal Lands and Lake Superior is especially severe. And, the pipeline directly threatens the State of Wisconsin’s multibillion dollar outdoor recreation industry – an economic engine for nearby communities and the entire state.

As the pipeline continues to corrode and crack, experts argue that Line 5 is a ticking time bomb for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region. Especially, a portion that traverses the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin and a five-mile stretch that runs under the Straits of Mackinac.

It’s far past time to shut Line 5 down for the safety and health of Wisconsin, Indigenous communities, and the Great Lakes region.

Currently, Enbridge, the pipeline's operator, is seeking permission from the Army Corps of Engineers to reroute a portion of the pipeline around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation. Approving this reroute would extend the lifespan of this already old and dangerous pipeline and extend the ongoing threat it poses to the Great Lakes.

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers it cannot take any shortcuts and must do the most thorough environmental review possible of the proposed reroute to protect our waterways, communities, and wildlife along the pipeline.

We'll be working to find opportunities for action as the various ongoing processes continue regarding Line 5 and Enbridge. Be sure to sign up for updates here to receive information.