A diverse coalition of Wisconsinites representing the state’s labor, business, and agricultural sectors were in Ashland on Tuesday to voice their support of the proposed Line 5 relocation project to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The proposed Line 5 relocation project in Ashland, Bayfield and Iron Counties, has broad support among Wisconsinites who understand the pipeline is the safest and most efficient way to move the energy our state and region depends on.
The Line 5 relocation project, which is estimated to create over 700 Wisconsin union construction jobs and pump $135 million into the local economy, is currently being reviewed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to public comments received by the Wisconsin DNR, Wisconsinites approve of the project by greater than a 2-to-1 margin.
A public comment submitted to the DNR by major propane supplier Plains Midstream sent a dire warning for the entire Midwest that a rejection of the Line 5 relocation project could send Wisconsin and other states into a State of Emergency due to propane shortages as Line 5 is a key supplier of the natural gas liquids that are needed to produce propane.
Line 5 moves roughly 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids each day. These unrefined products get sent to refineries in the region – where they are turned into propane, gas, diesel and jet fuel, which is then distributed to consumers, farms and businesses throughout Wisconsin, the Midwest and eastern Canada. If Line 5 were shut down, to fill the infrastructure gap, it is estimated 2,100 tanker trucks would need to drive through Ashland, Wisconsin, on U.S. Highway 2 each day.
In addition to being the safest way to carry Wisconsin’s critical energy supply, an independent economic impact study estimated the Line 5 relocation project would add $135 million to Wisconsin’s economic output, increase state tax revenues by millions and support more than 1,000 jobs in the State of Wisconsin.
Line 5’s owner, Enbridge, has signed a letter of intent with Wisconsin-based Michels Pipeline, Inc. as the mainline contractor for the project, and a Project Labor Agreement has been signed with the Laborers International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters.