Madison, Wis – Yesterday, during the contested case hearing pertaining to the Enbridge Line 5 Relocation Project, expert witness Tim Drake of Environmental Resources Management spent hours laying out in great detail how the approved relocation route was selected to ensure minimal environmental impact. Drake has nearly 30 years of experience as an environmental consultant.
Drake explained how Enbridge analyzed potential pipeline routes based on safety and environmental factors including wetlands and waterbodies the route would cross, the identification of threatened and endangered species, and topography and soil conditions. Drake compared each of the route alternatives to Enbridge’s preferred route explaining why the preferred route is the best option. He also talked about the various methods Enbridge is planning to use during construction to avoid and minimize environmental impacts including using waterbody crossing techniques based on type of waterway, decreasing the size of workspaces in wetland crossings, responsive route changes and adjustments, and using best management practices to control erosion
The contest case hearing continues through October 3, with Enbridge and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources experts testifying on the project over the next two weeks.
The hearing is a result of opponents of the project initiating the “contested case” process challenging the permits issued by the Wisconsin DNR for the Line 5 relocation project. The challenge comes even though the DNR spent more than four years compiling and analyzing data, held multiple public hearings and comment periods, and relied on the most state-of-the-art modeling available to make their decision. A nearly 900-page DNR environmental impact statement scientifically and legally justified the issuance of project permits. The DNR also included 231 conditions on the permits to require the strongest environmental standards possible.
Line 5 is unique because it not only moves crude oil that is refined into transportation fuels, but it also transports natural gas liquids that are made into propane. In fact, a public comment submitted to the DNR by major propane supplier Plains Midstream sent a critical warning that a rejection of the Line 5 relocation project would likely send Wisconsin into a propane state of emergency, leading to supply shortages and massive price increases.
During the Wisconsin DNR’s permitting process, over two dozen of Wisconsin’s leading organizations representing farmers, small businesses, labor unions and papermakers submitted comments in favor of the relocation project. Those groups included the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Propane Gas Association, Wisconsin Building Trades Council, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Independent Businesses, Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Wisconsin Paper Council, Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, Wisconsin Pipe Trades, Wisconsin Restaurant Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Cooperative Network, Dairy Business Association, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin, Construction Business Group, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139, Midwest Food Products Association, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, Northern Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Council and Teamsters Local 346. In fact, an analysis of public records found that Wisconsinites supported the Line 5 relocation project by a 2-to-1 margin during the DNR comment period in 2022.
