The mayor of Sarnia, Ont. is hoping for a lifeline to secure the future of an oil pipeline that provides crude for Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. Midwest. “It creates anxiety because there’s thousands of jobs directly impacted to the refineries in this community,” said Bradley. He was talking about a recent ruling regarding Line 5. The Michigan Supreme Court has revoked a building permit for Enbridge for a replacement project for the 73-year-old Line 5, which brings more than a half million barrels of oil per day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia’s chemical valley. The court ordered state regulators to reconsider allowing for a tunnel carrying an oil pipeline to be built under the Straits of Mackinac. Bradley is calling on the provincial and federal governments to intervene. “We’ve worked in the past on this issue. We’ve been successful in the past in getting the federal government status in the Michigan court system and getting the attention of American politicians. So, I’ve alerted them to this problem, and asked them, ‘What can you do as a province and as a federal government to stand up for Ontario, stand up for Sarnia Lambton, stand up for Canada,’” said Bradley Enbridge proposed the pipeline tunnel nearly a decade ago. That was around the time a ship anchor dented part of the line. The company says the tunnel would greatly reduce the chance of an oil spill. Environmentalists and First Nations groups in the U.S. argue the project would cause environmental damage to the great lakes. Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong MP Marilyn Gladu (Liberal) says her government is prepared to become involved. “I know that there’s an amicus brief that’s already been submitted to intervene in the matter, and we will continue to work with all the stakeholders because you know we want to get the right answer environmentally. But also, this is a hugely important energy infrastructure,” she told CTV News. The latest ruling is separate from attempts by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to shut down the pipeline. John Swart, the president of the Sarnia Building Trades Council, admits he’s losing hope. “I truly believe this might be the biggest setback yet. I do not think there’s any more cards to be played here. I might be wrong, and hopefully I am wrong, but it just seems that no matter what goes on, there’s always another court case,” he said. In the meantime, Enbridge has said it’s reviewing its options in light of the ruling.
