What is the likelihood of a leak in the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline? What are the risks of a leak? And what are the alternatives for energy access should it be decommissioned? These are just some of the questions discussed in a series of recent reports and documentary videos, thanks in part to support from Michigan’s philanthropic sector.

The Line 5 pipeline - which sits on the lake bed between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsula in the Straits of Mackinac - provides the natural gas liquids from which propane is extracted. It’s delivered to a facility in the UP as well as to facilities in Ontario that then supply propane throughout the state. Built in 1953, the 645-mile long pipeline transports 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids each day.

London Economics International (LEI), in a study funded by CMF member the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation, set out to examine alternatives to Enbridge’s Line 5 supply of propane gas to Michigan’s consumers. The report, released July 27, 2018, resulted in five key findings (abbreviated below - see full report for additional detail):

• There is no shortage of propane in the United States; supply is growing faster than demand.

• The least expensive alternative supply options are pipeline transportation to Superior, Wisconsin combined with either trucking from Superior to Rapid River or rail from Superior to Rapid River.

• Although more expensive options are available, it would not make sense to assume these would be chosen instead of the least expensive option, except under emergency conditions.

• In the Lower Peninsula, the impact on the cost of propane may be negligible.

• The small price increase from using alternatives to Enbridge Line 5 would be lost in the noise of typical price volatility.

The propane report is the first of multiple analyses based on that research.

When asked why Mott provided funding for this research, Tim Eder, program officer, explains “Governor Snyder and other state officials who will decide the fate of Line 5 need independent, credible research to make an informed decision about the pipeline’s future and alternatives that meet the energy needs of Michigan and neighboring states. This analysis will fill important gaps in information so that the state won’t have to rely solely on Enbridge-funded studies.”

One such study was released on July 16, 2018. The draft report, “Independent Risk Analysis for the Straits Pipelines” was submitted by a team led by Michigan Technological University and directed by professor Guy Meadows of Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center. They examined 4,300 hypothetical spill simulations. The report was recommended by the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board and was contracted by the State of Michigan. Great Lakes Now reports that the analysis, which is still considered to be in draft form, cost nearly $750,000 and was paid out of a state escrow fund financed by Enbridge.

In a worst-case scenario, the report suggests Enbridge would be liable for $2 billion worth of damage should a leak occur. If ruptures occurred on both pipelines in the tandem section crossing the Straits of Mackinac, along with failures to the line’s primary and secondary valves, it could release between 32,000 and 58,000 barrels of crude oil into the Great Lakes. If such a spill occurred, an estimated 400 miles of shoreline in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada would be affected based on wind and current conditions, threatening 47 wildlife species of concern and 60,000 acres of unique habitat.

On August 13, members of the public had the opportunity to talk with researchers about the report. Some of the 200-plus attendees suggested the estimated cost of the damage and the two-year timeline anticipated for clean-up were far too low.

“We all agree that the State’s natural resources are a treasure that must be protected,” Ryan Duffy, Enbridge spokesman, said in a press release. “While Line 5 continues to operate safely, and there never has been a release in the Straits since it was installed, the State and Enbridge are working on new safeguards to enhance pipeline safety.”

While there has not been a release, a recent event has some officials concerned about the likelihood a release could occur - and concerned about the Enbridge response time.

On August 20, Senator Gary Peters convened a Senate Commerce Committee field hearing to question Enbridge officials particularly about the April 1, 2018 incident in which a ship anchor struck and dented the pipeline in three places and broke open electrical transmission cables, spilling 600 gallons of toxic chemicals in dielectric fluid into the Straits of Mackinac.

Senator Peters said it was "completely unacceptable" that Enbridge waited more than two weeks to send a remotely operated vehicle to inspect the pipelines following that event, adding that the underwater portion of Line 5 "could have been a ticking time bomb." 

Howard "Skip" Elliott, administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, said the agency believes Line 5 is less likely to fail than another Enbridge line that spilled around one million gallons of oil in southern Michigan in 2010, noting that the underwater portion of Line 5 has walls three times as thick as the pipe that ruptured and is operated at well below maximum pressure.

Enbridge said the 65-year-old pipeline is in good condition and company officials have said the underwater section of Line 5 is "the most inspected segment of pipe in our entire North American network."

Michigan filmmaker Barton Bund has made a documentary film about the battle over the pipeline. Part Two was recently released and features a number of candidates for statewide office weighing in on their plans for the pipeline.

An April 2018 film, “Beneath the Surface: The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes” from Detroit Public TV’s Great Lakes Bureau also takes a deep look at the issue. Funding for the video was provided in part by CMF members, including the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Consumers Energy Foundation and Americana Foundation.

Opportunities for Member Involvement

CMF is a member of the Great Lakes Funder Collaboration which brings together funders across the U.S. and Canada who are interested in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. The Collaboration periodically holds webinars and conference calls on topics of interest for funders, as well as quarterly work group calls on water infrastructure, nutrient pollution and environmental education and behavior change. The Collaboration’s annual meeting is being held October 18-19 in Detroit. Funders interested in learning more are encouraged to visit the CMF website.

CMF is also the project lead on a dynamic, cross-disciplinary team working on the Great Lakes One Water Partnership, a multi-year, basin-wide initiative focused on engaging shoreline community foundations as a force multiplier to advance a new era of water management to benefit people and businesses in the Great Lakes Basin. 

The Green and Blue Network (GBN) is an action-oriented learning community for CMF members. Members come together to learn from experts and each other about leading environmental issues and how to make more effective and intentional environmental grants, impact environmental policy and leverage grant dollars. Members are invited to join GBN’s online community and learning about upcoming convenings.

Want more?

Watch the full hearing on the Senate Commerce Committee website.

Watch Part I of the Line 5 video. Watch Part II of the Line 5 video.

Watch Detroit Public TV’s Great Lakes Bureau documentary “Beneath the Surface.”

Read the full Q&A with Mott Foundation’s Tim Eder.