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Line 5: A Timeline of a Ticking Bomb

Line 5 has already released over 1 million gallons, and crossing over two of the Great Lakes the aging pipeline is a disaster waiting to happen. Click to read a timeline of major Line 5 events, from construction nearly 70 years ago to present day.
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The Oil & Water Don't Mix coalition was formed to address the threat to our climate and Great Lakes from the aged, dangerous Line 5 pipeline and associated proposed tunnel project.  Together, we saw a need to organize on behalf of Michiganders and all those that value and use the Great Lakes - for our freshwater future, not fossil fuel profit.

Clean Water Action sits on the steering committee of Oil & Water Don't Mix, which includes over 75 organizations working to shut down the flow of oil in the Great Lakes alongside supporters from the business community, tribal communities, faith communities, local governments, and individuals. Coalition members come from all walks of life with areas of focus including concerns about water quality, Indigenous rights, climate change, pollution, sustainable economies, protecting sporting, commerce, and tourism, and protecting the jobs that are dependent on our water and our Pure Michigan way of life.

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Clean Water Action volunteers with Shut Down Line 5 signs

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Sign up with our Michigan office to get more involved in the fight to Shut Down Line 5!

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Actions, Events, and Updates

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Working To Keep The Great Lakes State Great: Michigan 2024 In Review

Together we will walk the path ahead and prove that a grassroots struggle that builds power from the bottom up is essential to making progress on the issues that matter most. As we prepare for 2025 and the critical fights ahead, I take courage in knowing that we can count on your support, and I’m thankful to be in this fight with you.
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On The Ground In Michigan

In an election that will be decided by who shows up to vote, the work that we do at Clean Water Action truly matters. Not only what we do in election season, but what we do year-round, educating our members and the public about critical issues and engaging more people in the democratic process.
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Working To Keep The Great Lakes State Great: Michigan 2023 In Review

2023 has been a year of change and a year of some big victories in Michigan, from historic investments in our state budget for water infrastructure, addressing water affordability, and ensuring that all Michigan schools and daycare centers have lead-free drinking water systems to repealing “No Stricter Than Federal” and continuing to play a lead role in the ongoing fight to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. Our movement is built from the bottom up and without your ongoing support, none of this would be possible.

Line 5 News

Oil & Water Don't Mix Responds to Michigan Public Service Commission Decision on Line 5 Tunnel Permit

A federal court ruled on June 16th that Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline is in trespass on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation and that it constitutes a public nuisance by posing an imminent threat of rupture that could devastate the Band’s drinking water, plants and wildlife, and the region’s economy. The court required a segment of the Line 5 pipeline to be shut down within three years. Enbridge's response of an appeal and proposal to re-route the pipeline does not protect the Band, their treaty-reserved territory, or the Great Lakes from the threat of Line 5.
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Line 5: Tribal Nations and Advocacy Groups Respond as Enbridge Appeals Shutdown Order

A federal court ruled on June 16th that Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline is in trespass on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation and that it constitutes a public nuisance by posing an imminent threat of rupture that could devastate the Band’s drinking water, plants and wildlife, and the region’s economy. The court required a segment of the Line 5 pipeline to be shut down within three years. Enbridge's response of an appeal and proposal to re-route the pipeline does not protect the Band, their treaty-reserved territory, or the Great Lakes from the threat of Line 5.
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Citizens Groups Applaud MI Attorney General’s Appeal in Line 5 Legal Case

"Every day this outdated 1950s crude oil pipeline is in the Great Lakes is a day when beautiful Lake Michigan could end up being a disaster zone. Delay is not our friend and this legal development moves us closer to a decision."

MI Propane Plan Proves that Michigan Doesn’t Need Line 5

For years, Enbridge and their allies have been spending millions of dollars to scare Michigan residents and create a fiction that the sky will fall and people will freeze without Line 5. Governor Whitmer’s team has proved them wrong once again.

Clean Water Action Applauds Governor Whitmer’s Action to Shut Down Line 5

After over a year-long review, the Department of Natural Resources has discovered many incurable violations to the 1953 easement that allows Enbridge to operate Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. We applaud the Governor’s actions to protect Michigan residents and our public trust resources by revoking the 1953 easement and shutting down the Line 5 pipeline.