Bay Mills throws support behind lawsuit against Enbridge over Line 5 Pipeline

NEWS RELEASE
BAY MILLS INDIAN COMMUNITY
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BAY MILLS, MICH. - Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) was pleased to learn that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against Enbridge to decommission the Line 5 Pipeline.

The Line 5 Pipeline transports millions of gallons of oil along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.

“Last year, we narrowly avoided catastrophe when a passing ship accidentally dropped its anchor on the pipeline. That event made clear what we have known all along: Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline poses an unacceptable risk to our tribal treaty rights, and to the millions of people who depend on the waters of the Great Lakes,” said BMIC Tribal Chairman Bryan Newland.

BMIC, along with other northern Michigan tribes, secured the right to fish throughout the upper Great Lakes, including the Mackinac Straits, under a treaty with the United States. For the past four decades, the tribe has worked together with the State of Michigan to manage the Great Lakes fishery under a court-approved agreement. The Great Lakes themselves are central to tribal culture, the economy, and the tribe’s way of life.

Enbridge, known for the worst oil spill in Michigan’s history, and was nearly responsible for another disaster in last year’s anchor-strike incident. It has resisted efforts to provide information about the condition of its aging pipeline, and has tried to avoid accountability.

“Simply put, Enbridge has proven that it cannot be trusted to protect our shared resources,” said Newland. “BMIC is grateful that the Attorney General shares our view, and has filed this lawsuit to decommission the Line 5 Pipeline. We will continue to work to protect our waters, our treaty rights, and our way of life. And, we are happy to stand with Michigan’s Attorney General today as part of that work.”

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