Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said this week that the state regulators are reconsidering a permit that would have allowed the construction of a petroleum pipeline tunnel underneath the Straits of Mackinac.
In a letter to energy firm Enbridge, Whitmer said on Wednesday that the company should abandon its goal of constructing a 30-inch pipeline within a concrete tunnel under the strait between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The new pipeline would replace its two existing 20-inch pipelines, which are used to transport oil and natural gas liquids.
Whitmer noted that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled this summer that the Michigan Public Service Commission had approved the construction of the tunnel without adequately considering the potential environmental harm from the project. The court vacated the approval and sent the project back to the agency for reconsideration.
Whitmer said in her letter that the additional proceedings and further litigation will further delay construction, and it’s unlikely that the pipeline will be opened within the next 10 years, if it ever becomes operational. Meanwhile, pumping oil beneath the Great Lakes is too risky to continue, she said.
The National Wildlife Federation said in a statement that other pipelines and shipping options will replace the two 20-inch pipelines when they shut down, and clean energy alternatives are already reducing demand.
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The Union of Concerned Scientists and Environmental Defense Fund said this week that they are suing to gain access to records about the dismantling of federal climate research operations.
Environmental law organization Earthjustice, which is representing the Union of Concerned Scientists in the lawsuit, said in a statement that the organizations had filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests for records from the National Science Foundation and White House Office of Management and Budget about plans to end operations by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
“As a taxpayer-funded public good, NCAR belongs to all of us, and we deserve to know the rationale and deliberations behind any effort to dismantle or restructure it,” Carlos Martinez, senior climate scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement.
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Nonprofit organizations Headwaters Economics and Insurance for Good published guidance last month on home updates that reduce the risk of damage from wildfires as well as result in lasting economic benefits for owners.
The organizations said that upgrades such as metal roofs, double-paned windows, and steel and fiberglass doors result in energy savings, lower maintenance costs, and more durable homes, and the lower long-term costs can help to offset the initial costs of those materials. Details on those benefits can help homeowners to make investment decisions as well as inform program design decisions by community leaders and policy makers.
Treelines 