Oil and Gas

The oil and gas industry wields enormous political power. Massive spending on elections and lobbying, a relentless spin machine and agency capture at all levels of government have given fossil fuel companies outsized influence on our political, legislative and regulatory processes.

On November 13^th, after 15 months of reviewing violations of Enbridge’s 1953 easement to operate Line 5, Governor Whitmer and the Department of Natural Resources revoked and terminated the 1953 easement allowing Line 5 to operate in the Straits of Mackinac. This was a huge victory, and is something that Clean Water Action and our allies have been demanding and working towards for years. We are celebrating this victory, but the fight to decommission Line 5 continues.  Here are the most relevant moving pieces and next steps.

Congress should fully fund for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by passing the Great Americans Outdoor Act. As we all have experienced, access to parks is incredibly important for our mental and physical health, and remain a low risk activity even while we are social distancing. Unfortunately, for years Congress has diverted money out of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, leaving us with critically underfunded parks when we need them most.