WASHINGTON, DC (Michigan News Source) –It was only about three weeks ago when Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was encouraging Democrats to vote against Biden in the Michigan presidential primary with an “uncommitted” vote. Doing so would send a message to Biden, she said, that voters don’t support his Israel policies and want a permanent cease-fire in the war in Gaza.

Her sister, Layla Elabed, had organized the “Listen to Michigan” uncommitted vote campaign which resulted in over 100,000 votes.

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Tlaib said on election day in a video, “I was proud today to walk in and pull a Democratic ballot and vote uncommitted.”

Now Tlaib is speaking out about something else – and she’s asking for President Biden’s help. She, like most Democrats in Michigan, wants the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline shut down.

What is the Line 5 pipeline?

According to the Enbridge website, “The Line 5 pipeline travels under the Straits of Mackinac and diverges into two, 20-inch-diameter, parallel pipelines…They start underground onshore, taper deep underwater and cross the Straits for 4.5 miles. The products moved on Line 5 heat homes and businesses, fuel vehicles, and power industry in the state of Michigan.”

The Enbridge Energy’s Great Lakes Tunnel Project, a $500-million private investment to build a tunnel deep under the Straits to house Line 5, has been a source of much consternation for Michigan Democrats and their allies who have been trying to shut down the project, fearful that the project – and the pipeline itself – are a threat to the environment.

Congresswoman says clean water is a “right.”

In an op-ed that was published in the Detroit Free Press on March 9th, Tlaib says that clean water is a “human right” and that “dirty” polluters shouldn’t be able to take that right away or continue to exploit Michigan’s water for profit.

In her op-ed, Tlaib says, “The Line 5 pipeline transports crude oil from Alberta through the Straits of Mackinac, the most critical part of the Great Lakes, operated by a Canadian company called Enbridge with a disturbing history of faulty infrastructure and environmental destruction, including right here in Michigan” pointing to an oil spill in Talmadge Creek, a small tributary to the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Michigan, in July of 2010.

Environmental activities, tribal leaders and others have been actively protesting the existence of the Line 5 Pipeline.

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Tlaib goes on to discuss how tribal leaders, environmental activists, elected officials and people from all walks of life across Michigan have spent more than a decade fighting to shut down Line 5. Calling the Great Lakes as a place that provides more than just drinking water, Tlaib says they are “home to precious ecosystems and wildlife, and tens of millions of people rely on them for jobs, fishing, and recreation.”

Tlaib pleads, “This should be taken more seriously by elected officials. It is a threat to our most critical source of water…We can’t wait for a disastrous oil spill in the Great Lakes. There must be immediate action to eliminate this threat, which is why we need to shut down Line 5.”

She laments, “On Dec. 1, 2023, the Michigan Public Service Commission ignored overwhelming opposition and voted to approve a key permit for more Line 5 infrastructure in the Straits of Mackinac. The Straits are much more than a shipping lane – they are a place with deep meaning for our Indigenous neighbors, whose treaty rights protect their ability to steward this resource.”

Tlaib begs Biden to shut down the pipeline.

Tlaib calls out for President Biden’s help, saying he “has the ability to protect our Great Lakes today by revoking Line 5’s presidential permit.”

Tlaib concludes her letter by saying, “I’m continuing to urge the president to step in to protect the Great Lakes and the millions of us who rely on this irreplaceable natural resource to survive and thrive. Tribal nations across the Great Lakes opposing Line 5 remind us that ‘water is life.’ And it’s true: There is no more precious resource than water. We cannot allow the water we rely on to live, the water that helps make Michigan such a special place for so many, to be sacrificed for corporate greed. Our residents deserve better. Let’s shut down Line 5, and end this threat.”

Enbridge responds.

Michigan News Source reached out to Enbridge to ask if they had a response to Tlaib’s op-ed. Enbridge spokesperson, Ryan Duffy said, “Enbridge is investing in a cleaner energy future and the transportation systems that deliver energy resources safely, affordably, and reliably. Our commitment to protecting the Great Lakes continues to drive our work to build the Great Lakes Tunnel, deactivating the section of Line 5 that currently sits in the waters of the Straits and locating a replacement section inside the confines of the tunnel, deep under the lakebed.”

He went on to say, “We remain fiercely committed to protecting the natural resources of Michigan and the Great Lakes region, and to building the Great Lakes Tunnel. We have been pursuing permits for the construction of the tunnel since 2020 and currently hold permits from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission. We await a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers.”

Duffy continued, “The Great Lakes Tunnel for Line 5 at the Straits makes what has always been a safe pipeline even safer, ensuring energy access and reliability, and supporting jobs and the economy throughout the Great Lakes Region. Building the Great Lakes Tunnel has the support of 70 percent of Michiganders. As we proceed with this modernization project, we remain committed to operating Line 5 responsibly with enhanced safety measures in the Straits that protect Michigan’s natural resources and infrastructure in the Straits.”