N. WISCONSIN / UP - A month after a massive Line 5 pipeline spill in Iron County, Tribal and environmental leaders are calling on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to declare a disaster and hold Enbridge accountable. The pipeline released roughly one-point-three-million gallons of natural gas liquids near the Bad River Reservation in Saxon last month, after an unoccupied subcontractor truck struck it. Enbridge has since returned Line 5 to service using a temporary bypass, despite state officials asking the company to halt construction over missing permits. Beth Wallace with the National Wildlife Federation says the state allowing Line 5 to continue to operate until it fails again is unacceptable.
0:14 "This should have been the last straw on Line 5. Enbridge was extremely lucky in this moment that this did not ignite and cause mass casualties. And the fact that what caused this event is not being examined is really alarming."
Wallace says environmental groups are calling on Governor Evers to take steps similar to those sought from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, including examining options for orderly decommissioning. Enbridge says their work follows current permit conditions and it continues working with regulators on permitting and environmental remediation. Enbridge and proponents of the pipeline also argue Line 5 is critical infrastructure supplying energy to millions of people across the Midwest and Great Lakes region and monitoring shows no contamination in nearby waters or wells.
