ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan native and Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artist Billy Strings has donated his song “Watch it Fall” to efforts to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline.
Strings donated the song for use in the National Wildlife Federation’s new social media video, “Time’s Up for Line 5,” calling for President Joe Biden to support Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s efforts to shut down the pipeline.
Time's Up for Line 5 from NWF Great Lakes on Vimeo.
Whitmer had revoked Enbridge’s easement to operate in the Straits of Mackinac on May 12.
READ MORE: Enbridge to continue Line 5 operations past Governor Whitmer's shutdown orders
“Our Great Lakes represent 20% of the world’s freshwater and we have a foreign oil company willfully violating the law, pumping millions of gallons of oil through an aging, damaged and deteriorating pipeline,” said Beth Wallace, Great Lakes freshwater campaigns manager for the National Wildlife Federation. “It’s imperative we all stand up and say that’s not okay. President Biden should join this effort and support Gov. Whitmer and support state’s rights to protect land and water for their citizens. Time’s up for Line 5.”
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In response, Enbridge released the following statement to FOX 17:
“The federal pipeline regulator, the U.S. Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA), has consistently determined the condition and operation of Line 5 are safe, following evaluations conducted as recently as 2020.
Enbridge has invested more than $100 million on improvements to Line 5 and successful safety measures in the Straits since 2018.
Enbridge’s construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel exemplifies our commitment to a healthy energy future. It is the best long-term solution to safeguard the Great Lakes while keeping the energy flowing to Michigan, neighboring states and Canada’s two largest provinces.”
