(Ulysses S. Tennyson) Joe Biden shut down the Keystone pipeline earlier this year to devastating affects on jobs and energy. He also threatens to destroy hundreds of thousands of additional oil and gas jobs by preventing oil leases and permts.
by Ulysses S. Tennyson, May 11th, 2021
In conjunction with all of that, America has been suffering through soaring energy costs due to Biden’s policies and a crippling attack on our energy system by Russian foreign hackers.
Yet, our domestic leaders are also compounding our current energy and economic crises by closing other pipelines in possible breach of federal contract.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan announced, today that she would be unilaterally closing Enbridge’s Line 5, a pipeline that transports oil to Canada and Propane to Michigan, effective immediately.
“$3 gas? Hold my beer – I’m about to close down #Line5.” — @GovWhitmer https://t.co/Aoty0Rsvay
— MI Senate GOP (@MISenate) May 11, 2021
This pipeline is responsible for roughly half the oil used by Quebec and Montreal. It is also responsible for thousands of jobs that will be lost:
Powerful message in front of the Michigan Capitol today under a somber sky. Each helmet represents one of 1200 jobs immediately lost if #Line5 is shut down. Hasn’t Michigan suffered enough job and business devastation? Each helmet a family destroyed. pic.twitter.com/06ugWKil23
— meshawn maddock (@CoChairMeshawn) May 11, 2021
According to some workers on the line protesting in the Michigan capitol of Lansing, above, there will be “1,200 jobs” immediately effected, while an additional “16 times” that amount will likely be collateral damage. That would mean about 20000 people would lose their jobs, if true.
Earlier this month, Canada’s natural resources minister said the continued operation of the pipeline was “non-negotiable” and warned of the job losses as well as the 800 tanker rail cars and 2,000 trucks each day that would be necessary to move the oil every day by vehicle without the pipeline.
How much additional fossil fuel energy would be necessary to operate 800 tanker rail cars and 2000 trucks each day?
Besides that, many believe that this is all being done at quite a questionable time of crisis in order to momentarily sate Whitmer’s radical left donors seeking a green utopia at any cost.
#MISenate Energy and Technology Committee is meeting now for a presentation on the Line 5 pipeline. Watch live here: https://t.co/gpMDJvRCFT #MILeg #MIGov
— MI Senate GOP (@MISenate) May 11, 2021
The battle for the pipeline has been ongoing in Michigan for many years. Some green advocates and engineers are worried about the environmental impact of the pipeline and its degradation over time. The pipeline was made to be supported by a lake bed that has, through time been eroded from underneath the pipeline, according to some local experts. Because of this, 147 artificial supports have been placed as needed all along the pipeline since 2003. Not all the concerns are without merit. Minor damage has occurred at times without any leaks, but there has to date been no study proving that the 67 year-old pipeline is an immediate danger to The Great Lakes with proper maintenance.
However, an oil spill in the Great Lakes would be quite bad since America’s Great Lakes are quite a unique and integral national natural resource.
Enbridge, who owns the Line 5 pipeline, has denied that the pipeline is at any risk of spilling, reports The Guardian. And, there are reportedly no leaks in the line.
But, in an exercise of caution and prudence, there are engineering proposals to relocate the line several hundred feet under the water in a tunnel in which people could easily inspect it at any time, as noted in the video below. This would save the pipeline while also encapsulating it, thereby protecting the great lakes should any accidents occur. Many experts believe this to be the most safe, effective, and efficient way to resolve any concerns.
#Line5 is critical to Michigan’s energy & economic security. @GovWhitmer‘s plan to close the pipeline will result in lost jobs and an increased danger risk in energy transportation. pic.twitter.com/0JoKbYghaB
— MI Senate GOP (@MISenate) May 11, 2021
Despite this, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has set a hard deadline for the pipeline’s shut down, at May 12 which Enbridge will likely ignore. After that, Whitmer is also threatening to seize their profits.
“These oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac are a ticking timebomb, and their continued presence violates the public trust and poses a grave threat to Michigan’s environment and economy,” Whitmer’s office said in a statement.
Yet, where is the definitive evidence to prove this? The same message has been given by Democrats in Michigan for decades, yet no leaks have occurred and Enbridge has apparently maintained the pipeline well enough to mitigate any issues (so far) with lake-bed erosion and pipeline corrosion and supports.
In addition to the economic, energy, and logistical problems, this closure also creates a serious legal issue that may not be able to be resolved.
It turns out the US (not Michigan) is legally obliged to keep the pipeline running unless they give Canada a ten-year notice that the line will be shut down.
So, instead of enacting this dramatic rule with the stroke of a pen on a whim, why didn’t the governor go through the proper channels to begin a 10 year decommissioning of the pipeline instead of attempting to unilaterally remove the line during the greatest economic and energy crisis America has experienced since at least the 1970’s?
Al Monaco, president of Enbridge, has also pointed out that Canada’s two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, rely on the pipeline for nearly half of their oil needs.
All of this has led even the radical green Trudeau government of Canada to file an Amicus brief against Michigan:
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Several people in the smaller end of mining fear signing contracts to become liable for running other people’s mines due to what is happening with other BLM aspects. It goes beyond oil and gas often. Lackies are sent to bully miners all of the time. For miners groups like AMRA are sometimes the only help accessible taking on people with appointed offices. I guess We the People should be happy with what we get according to those on the other end of capitalism (liken it to racism and it will help my point here: haves/have nots)