Downriver Today

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer supports closing Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, a decision that would drive Midwest consumers' gasoline prices even higher than they are currently. Line 5 is important for moving large quantities of natural gas and oil through Canada and the Great Lakes area.

Whitmer is fighting Enbridge in both state and federal court in an attempt to shut the line down, according to a column by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial board.

"Americans are already paying an average of $4 for a gallon of gasoline these days," the WSJ said. "And if Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer succeeds in shutting down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, consumers will pay even more in the Midwest."

The war between Russia and Ukraine has created even more concerns about gas prices.

“This war is roiling an already tight global oil market and making it hard to determine if we are near a peak for pump prices, or if they keep grinding higher," American Automobile Association (AAA) spokesperson Andrew Gross said. "It all depends on the direction of oil prices.”

It seems that the governor is more concerned about the environmental damage caused by the pipeline.

"Enbridge has routinely refused to take action to protect our Great Lakes and the millions of Americans who depend on them for clean drinking water and good jobs," Whitmer said, according to a press release from her office.

There is supposedly no replacement for Line 5, and a closure would make refineries in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec lose up to 45% of their oil input. Line 5 provides 65% of propane demand in the Upper Peninsula and 55% of Michigan's propane use. Line 5 moves up to 540,000 barrels per day of light crude oil, light synthetic crude, and natural gas liquids (NGLs), which are turned into propane, according to Enbridge's website.

Researchers found that the closure would cause a 9.5 to 11.7% increase in gas prices, the WSJ said. 

Despite these moves, the average price for gas in the United States is $4.33 per gallon, and just nine cents lower in Michigan, according to AAA. A shutdown of the line would compound these problems. A closure would cause people in certain Midwest states to collectively pay $4.75 billion more every year for gas, according to a report by the Consumer Energy Alliance. That may be fueling public demand for more domestic oil, as a new poll from the Trafalgar Group showed that 77% of Americans want banned Russian oil to be replaced domestically. 

Polls also show that rising gas prices are changing how Americans plan to live. Two-thirds of people polled said that gas prices were too high when the national average was still $3.53 per gallon, AAA said. 59% of Americans recently said they want to alter their driving habits in response to the higher gas prices.

The Line 5 oil tunnel was first built in 1953 and was expected to last 50 years, according to The Petoskey News-Review. Analysts stated in court in February that the climate damage created by the pipeline goes beyond the standards laid out by the Michigan Environmental Protection Act.

Whitmer's office defended the decision by saying the pipeline was dented and damaged and did not have the necessary protective coating.