Michigan Greens Renew Call to Decommission Line 5, Enbridge's 60-year-old Pipeline Through Mackinac Straights

The Green Party of Michigan notes the following:

Ecological Wisdom      *  Social Justice
Grassroots Democracy  *  Non-Violence


Green Party of Michigan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  www.MIGreenParty.org


**  News Release  **
**  ------------  **
    March 23, 2015


For More Information, Contact:
-----------------------------
Art Myatt, GPMI Vice Chair
    ALMyatt@yahoo.com
    (313) 815-2025

John Anthony La Pietra, GPMI Media Committee
    jalp5dai@att.net



Michigan Greens Renew Call to Decommission Line 5,
Enbridge's 60-Year-Old Pipeline Through Mackinac Straits
========================================================
    In recognition of World Water Day on March 22, the Green Party of
Michigan (GPMI) renewed its opposition to Enbridge's Line 5 fossil-fuel
pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.

    At the urging of Chris Wahmhoff, the party's 2014 US Senate
candidate, Greens approved a call to decommission the 60-year-old
pipeline at a state membership meeting March 14-15 in East Lansing.

    GPMI Vice Chair Art Myatt explained the case for decommissioning
Line 5 -- and against suggestions of repairing or replacing it, much
less expanding its capacity -- in an entry on the party's blog.

    "There are a lot of scenarios about how disastrous a rupture of
Line 5 dumping into the Straits of Mackinac would be.  The gist of it is
that it would be a disaster spread rapidly into both Lake Michigan and
Lake Huron, and impossible to clean up.  It's a really extreme risk for
Michigan to take for the benefit of a Canadian pipeline company
specifically and for perpetuating the environmentally destructive tar
sands energy generally."

    Myatt added, "Enbridge Line 5 is a disaster if it breaks, and a
disaster if it works as intended.  The way to prevent both disasters is
to shut it down.  We'll need to do much more, of course, to use clean
energy efficiently and create a fair, sustainable society.  Shutting
down Enbridge's Line 5 is an excellent and essential step."

    The party's 2014 platform also explicitly opposed the pipeline --
along with offshore oil drilling, Keystone XL, tar-sands oil, fracking,
coal, and biomass.  Instead, it recognizes, "We need to *develop
renewable energy* such as wind and solar power, in Michigan and
nationwide, and *reduce energy use generally*.  This would generate
clean power and long- and short-term jobs."

    Water is an issue of particular importance to GPMI.  Wahmhoff is
perhaps best known for spending a day skateboarding in a piece of
Enbridge pipe to protest the Kalamazoo River spill.  And Detroit Greens
have been among the leaders in the People's Water Board movement to
protect city residents' human right to water.

    The next statewide membership meeting of GPMI is scheduled for
Saturday, June 6 in Grand Rapids.

    Myatt's blog entry on Line 5 is posted at

https://migreenparty.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/get-line-5-before-it-gets-us/

    For Michigan Greens' 2014 platform language on Line 5, see

http://www.migreenparty.org/the-environment.html

    For more information about GPMI and its values, visit

http://www.MIGreenParty.org/

You can also “like” the Green Party of Michigan US Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/migreens

and follow GPMI's Twitter feed @MIGreenParty

https://twitter.com/migreenparty


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Green Party of Michigan
PO Box 504
Warren, MI  48090-0504
    313-815-2025
    www.MIGreenParty.org

    GPMI was formed in 1987 to address environmental
issues in Michigan politics.  Greens are organized
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Each
state Green Party sets its own goals and creates its
own structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:

    Ecological Wisdom
    Grassroots Democracy
    Social Justice
    Non-Violence
    Community Economics
    Decentralization
    Feminism
    Respect for Diversity
    Personal/Global Responsibility
    Future Focus/Sustainability