By Blake Jackson
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recently issued permits to Canadian oil giant Enbridge, Inc., allowing them to proceed with the construction of a new pipeline route in northern Wisconsin.
This new route will bypass the Bad River Reservation, where the existing Line 5 pipeline has been operating without a valid easement since 2013.
The proposed pipeline will cross 186 waterways and hundreds of acres of wetlands, raising concerns about potential environmental impacts on sensitive ecosystems, including the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior.
Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group, has expressed skepticism about the project's compliance with state environmental laws.
“Wisconsin law makes it clear that projects causing harm to our waters must meet a high bar to move forward,” says Clean Wisconsin attorney Evan Feinauer. “Given the enormous impacts that construction of this pipeline would cause, we are skeptical that the proposed project meets these legal standards.”
The permits granted by the DNR will allow Enbridge to initiate clearing trees, digging trenches, and filling wetlands in the designated area.
Photo Credit: pipeline-flickr-maureen
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy