By Phyllis Hasbrouck

Enbridge recently published an “Open Letter to the Members of the Bad River Band,” saying “Enbridge believes it’s time to have direct conversations about finding real solutions about real issues such as the ongoing safe operation of Line 5….”

There is no such thing as guaranteed “safe operation” of an oil pipeline. All pipelines leak sooner or later. Line 5 has leaked 33 times in its 56 years of existence, pouring 1.1 million gallons of toxic oil into the environment. More conversations between the Band and Enbridge will not change anything, because Enbridge is determined to keep moving tar sands oil to market, where it’s burned, fouling the air and accelerating climate chaos. Meanwhile, the Band is determined to protect their reservation’s land and water, plus the entire Great Lakes, by stopping the passage of oil through the Bad River watershed.

It’s not like we depend on fossil fuels to stay alive, as much as Enbridge tries to make us think so. The whole world is changing the way it creates and uses power, but Enbridge pretends that without their oil, things will fall apart.

In fact, the knowledge and experience exist to replace oil with the energy from wind, sun, tides, and more. And continued use of oil will cause more deadly forest fires, monster storms and tornadoes, flooding and droughts. If Enbridge sincerely wants to find solutions, they should open their minds to these new realities. They can continue to make money if they switch their business from fossil fuels to renewables. Or they can fight a losing battle against the new reality, and eventually go bankrupt like the coal companies have done.

The Army Corps of Engineers needs to do a thorough Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Line 5 expansion. Our future depends on it.

Learn more and sign a petition to the Army Corps here.