Guest “irony can be so ironic” by David Middleton
Enbridge foe Whitmer declares Michigan energy emergency
Ian Vandaelle, BNN BloombergMichigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has stood out as one of the most vocal opponents of Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 project, which is the state’s main source of home heating fuels. Now, however, she’s declared a state of emergency amid a bitter cold snap in her state – and is warning that a spike in energy demand for home heating fuels like propane has put a strain on state-wide distribution.
[…]
Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 pipeline delivers about 65 per cent of the propane consumed in the state’s upper peninsula, and 55 per cent of Michigan’s total supply.
Last November, Whitmer moved to revoke the pipeline’s permit, arguing the project – especially a section running beneath the Great Lakes through the Strait of Mackinac – presents an “unreasonable risk” to the state.
BNN Bloomberg
How stupid does a politician have to be to try to shut down their state’s main source of home heating fuel right before winter? They would have to be doubly stupid to do this in a state with real winters, like Michigan. As bad as the Texas energy disaster was, the freezing weather that triggered it only lasted about 10 days.
Whitmer moves to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5
Beth LeBlanc
The Detroit News, Nov. 13, 2020Lansing — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is moving to shut down Line 5 by revoking and ending a 1953 easement that allows Enbridge Energy to run the dual pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.
The announcement was welcomed Friday by environmental groups as protecting the Great Lakes and attacked by neighboring Ohio’s governor and energy groups as costing jobs and raising fuel and heating prices for consumers.
The Democratic governor said Friday she has filed a lawsuit seeking validation of the action in Ingham County Circuit Court. Enbridge must shut down the pipeline by May under the notice.
[…]
The Detroit News
While the order would have allowed the pipeline to operate until spring, how were Michiganders supposed to heat their homes next winter? The section of Line 5 running through the Straits of Mackinac will eventually be replaced by pipelines running through The Great Lakes Tunnel; however this hasn’t even been fully permitted yet.
The Great Lakes Tunnel Project
On Dec. 19, 2018, Enbridge announced that it had reached an agreement with the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) on the future of Enbridge’s Line 5 light oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline at the Straits of Mackinac.
The Great Lakes Tunnel, a $500-million private investment by Enbridge in Michigan, will be built deep under the Straits to house Line 5. While Line 5 has operated safely and reliably in the Straits for more than 65 years, the Great Lakes Tunnel will be bored through rock, as much as 100 feet below the lakebed—virtually eliminating the chance of a pipeline incident in the Straits.
The Great Lakes Tunnel is a massive undertaking. It will be built by Michigan labor, and harness the knowledge and experience of industry-leading tunnel engineers. Pending receipt of necessary permits and approvals, Enbridge anticipates beginning construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel in 2021 to house a replacement Line 5 segment in the Straits.
Enbridge
Enbridge has secured permits from Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), but still need approvals from the Michigan Public Service Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before they can begin construction.
Gov. Witless and the same gaggle of environmental terrorist organizations have been opposing those permits as well. This literally is state-sponsored environmental terrorism…
Whitmer, Nessel lose as appeals court upholds Line 5 tunnel law
Karen Bouffard
The Detroit News, June 11, 2020Lansing — The Michigan Court of Appeals has unanimously upheld the constitutionality of a law to let Enbridge build a tunnel to house the 66-year-old Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac — another setback for Attorney General Dana Nessel’s quest to stop the operation of the oil pipeline.
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The Detroit News
These greentards are literally kill people in order to shut down pipelines.
Line 5 has operated without incident for nearly 70 years…
About Line 5
Energizing Michigan since 1953.As it travels under the Straits of Mackinac, Line 5 diverges into two, 20-inch-diameter, parallel pipelines. This is why people sometimes call the pipeline system the “dual” or “twin” 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.
Line 5 supplies 65% of propane demand in the Upper Peninsula, and 55% of Michigan’s statewide propane needs. Overall, Line 5 transports up to 540,000 barrels per day (bpd) of light crude oil, light synthetic crude, and natural gas liquids (NGLs), which are refined into propane.
Built in 1953 by the Bechtel Corporation to meet extraordinary design and construction standards, the Line 5 Straits of Mackinac crossing remains in excellent condition, and has never experienced a leak in more than 65 years of operation. The Line 5 crossing features an exceptional and incredibly durable enamel coating, and pipe walls that are three times as thick—a minimum of 0.812 inches—as those of a typical pipeline. What’s more, the Bechtel Corporation—renowned for the iconic Hoover Dam—designed and built Line 5 in an area of the Straits that would minimize potential corrosion due to lack of oxygen and the cold water temperature. This setting contributes to preserving the integrity of Line 5, which has enabled it to serve the region safely and reliably for more than six decades.
We’re working hard to keep it that way. We monitor the Line 5 Straits crossing 24/7, using both specially trained staff and sophisticated computer monitoring systems. We also carry out regular inspections of the line, using inline tools, expert divers, and remote operating vehicles (ROVs), going above and beyond regulatory requirements.
Enbridge
Leftists have an immutable law that all their stupid policies must ultimately be very harmful and unsustainable to their constituents and society, but beneficial to their various Corporate Oligarchs/NGOs/lobbyists/special interest/free-loading voters.
If we continue down this road, we’ll just end up with a Fascist Oligarchy of Elites running and ruining our lives, and we just become impoverished and enslaved wards of the state..
Oh, goody…. This model has always worked out so well throughout history….
I guess freezing to death is now acceptable government policy.
Decades ago when the federal government of Canada did something that harmed the petroleum industry in AB, a popular saying was “Let the eastern bleeps freeze in the dark.”
(Albeit ON and PQ now have so much electricity they export much to the US. Big hydroelectric developments plus ON has nuclear plants like Bruce.)
How stupid does a politician have to be…? – article
Ummm….. when you use the word “politician” in a sentence, “stupid” is inferred by contact.
Should we tell the rather uninformed “governor” that winters are cold in Michigan and will very likely get colder in the foreseeable future?
Certainly needs to be reminded – but will she listen when her emotions-driven ideology is supporting evasion. She’s comfy, whereas people are hungry and despondent because of obsessive shotgun policies of governors during the panicdemic, while failing to protect the truly vulnerable.
By rejecting Republican policies that grew the state out of former gov Jennifer Granholm’s (now a Biden cabinet nominee) policies of chasing former MI businesses to Texas, the state’s voters decided to let Texas ‘hold their beer’ while they voted a disastrous democrat cabal at the gov, SecState, and AG. Just to assure screwups could be converted to cover ups.
Could the Michigan upper peninsula succeed and become the Texas upper peninsula?
How about we trade the southern 1/3 of WI to Michigan for the UP? They can have Madison & Milwaukee in their liberal state and we will take the Yoopers.
Some other fun facts about Line 5.
More people have died due to Mackinaw Bridge than Line 5.
The Mackinaw Bridge was built about same time as pipeline, 1957. If Line five is too old then bridge is too old. Oil, gas, tire dust fall from the bridge everyday, but no one talks of shutting down bridge.
Only spill in strait was from an anchor strike that hit an old telephone cable and a nontoxic mineral oil leaked out.
Weepy Bill has been here with 350dotorg to demand line get shut. He was able to get the local tribal head to start demanding it be closed. The tribal head years ago claimed a spill was imminent. I don’t think he knew what that word meant.
They never explain what will get the needed energy safely to people if Line is shut. Trains and semis are less safe and more of them will be needed.
After the Gretchenator gets through killing some number of her constituents on the upper peninsula, Warren Buffet will make a financial killing transporting energy to the remaining survivors by rail.
ROFL. I understand Buffet owns good coal mines in the Powder River Basin of MT/WY.
BTW, I am advised that oil tank cars are seen rolling through Langley BC, SE of Vancouver BC, probably headed for the refineries in NW WA. They now have rail from two directions (oil tank cars have been seen on the BNSF in NW WA, by ship from wherever (such as Alaska), and the spur off of TMP from Alberta.
Propane? Really? Not natural Gas?
Do you even know what propane is or where it comes from? Hint: it’s refined from natural gas.