Dear John,

We are water. Our bodies are made of 60% water, which we draw from rivers, aquifers, rain, and lakes. Clean water is an essential right for all of us, no matter where we live.

In Wisconsin, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is calling for support to protect their drinking water, wild rice, fisheries, and cultural survival. Enbridge has proposed to reroute the Line 5 pipeline through hundreds of waterways that flow into their reservation and the Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs, an internationally recognized wetland that powers the fisheries of Lake Superior.

The plan threatens aquifers for numerous residents along the pipeline route. Line 5 carries Canadian crude oil which we should phase out rapidly to address the climate crisis, not build another pipeline for. Thousands of people have voiced their opposition and concern with the Wisconsin DNR.

Let’s join them—submit your comment to the Wisconsin DNR to protect the Bad River Tribe and drinking water. Call on officials to keep Enbridge from repeating their disasters in Minnesota.

The Line 5 expansion plan threatens the Apostle Islands, Copper Falls State Park, and the thriving recreation and tourism economies of northern Wisconsin. Enbridge wants to use the same drilling method that poisoned waterways and aquifers in Minnesota, which could irreversibly pollute drinking water for Wisconsin residents. An oil spill anywhere in the watershed would be catastrophic for the Bad River Tribe and the entire region.

In Minnesota, Enbridge pumped large undisclosed volumes of toxic drilling fluid into aquifers and released hundreds of millions of gallons of drinking water—and they didn’t report their permit violations to the DNR for months. This criminal behavior cannot be tolerated. Enbridge must be held accountable.

Send in a one-click comment today and make sure your voice is heard. You can also read more background and resources for writing your own custom comment.

With appreciation,
Devon Cupery, MN350 Pipeline Resistance Team

References:

(1) Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Enbridge Line 5 Relocation Project Vol.2 Wetland and Waterway Crossing Table, December 2021, at p.151.

(2) Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs, Ramsar Sites Information Service

(3) Marohn, Kirsti. Minn. lawmaker demands data on Line 3 frac-outs. MPR News. February 23, 2022.

(4) “MPCA: Enbridge Polluted Water at 63% of Horizontal Drilling Locations.” Watch the Line. August 10, 2021.

(5) Triplett-Dolph-Broberg-Turney Line 3 Failures and Violations, October 6, 2021.