MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The comment period on a draft analysis of the environmental impact of rerouting an oil and gas pipeline around an American Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin will run for an additional month, state regulators announced Wednesday.
The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline carries oil and natural gas liquids from Superior to Sarnia. Ontario. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa sued the company in 2019 demanding it remove the section of line that runs across the tribe’s reservation in Ashland County. The tribe is afraid the line could rupture and contaminate its drinking water.
Enbridge has proposed a 40-mile reroute around the reservation. Enbridge would need permits from multiple state and federal agencies to move ahead with the project.
The state Department of Natural Resources released a draft analysis of the environmental impact in December. Thousands of people have submitted comments on the analysis, with many saying the report is insufficient.
The comment period was set to expire on Friday. The DNR announced Wednesday that people can continue to submit comments until April 15.
People can mail comments to the DNR at the agency’s headquarters at 101 South Webster Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53707 or email them to the agency at DNROEEACOMMENTS@WI.GOV.
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Featured image: In this photo shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020, shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Mich. A federal judge Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, retained jurisdiction in a dispute over whether to shut down a Canadian pipeline that moves crude oil through a section of the Great Lakes, rejecting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s request to move the case to state court. (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File)
