“Dan Scripps quietly plays a lead role in Michigan’s energy future from his home office in Northport” began the 12/20 Leelanau Enterprise interview. Michigan Public Service Commission Chairman Scripps is highly regarded both here and in Lansing, which makes his approval of the Enbridge tunnel difficult to understand. Scripps said “..housing that [Line 5] segment within the tunnel would virtually eliminate the risk the current pipelines pose to the Great Lakes” just as Enbridge has been telling us.
To say that a new pipeline inside a tunnel is less risky than an old pipeline in open water is stating the obvious. Of course. That’s why Enbridge chose it. But MPSC accepted the Enbridge promise as thought the tunnel existed, without examining the actions necessary to make it a reality. This tunnel will be dangerous to build and to operate, but its greatest danger is what it does today: it keeps old Line 5 operating indefinitely.
Enbridge says the tunnel is for Great Lakes safety, but in truth it’s for profit. In 2018, Gov. Snyder approved the tunnel, saying old Line 5 could operate until a new Line 5 inside a tunnel is complete. This allows Line 5 to earn $6 billion in the decade it takes for a tunnel — even if a tunnel isn’t built, since the agreement is non-binding. If a tunnel is built, Michigan must own it to lease to Enbridge for 99 more years of profit.
