As debate over the Line 5 project continues, three Republican state senators have written a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asking for her leadership on the issue.
“On behalf of the thousands of Michigan residents we represent, we urge you to provide the leadership necessary to reach a compromise that will ensure the continued operation and long-term safety of the Line 5 oil pipeline," the letter signed by Sens. Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake), Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) and Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) states. "Regardless of where they live in our great state, a shutdown of this line would directly and negatively impact almost every Michigander.”
The letter was sent in the aftermath of a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to shut down the oil pipeline.
Schmidt and McBroom represent the Upper Peninsula region directly impacted by Line 5. Shirkey has advocated to keep Line 5 operational during the development phases of the new tunnel.
“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are thousands of jobs at risk should you decide to close Line 5 and abandon the plan to build a protective tunnel," the letter states. "More than 25,000 (mostly union) employees service the line, and work in the refineries and industrial sites it supplies. And of course, the tunnel project itself would create thousands more new, high-paying jobs.”
The senators also issued a joint statement in a follow up to the letter:
“The Attorney General is slowing progress on a tunnel – not a penny of which will be paid for by taxpayers – that will ensure the continued safety of a vital energy conduit," reads the statement. "If she has her way, Michiganders will pay significantly more for gas at the pump and for propane to heat their homes. And she will put at risk thousands of jobs that are directly related to the line, and thousands more that would be created by the tunnel project.”
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