Last month, MEA Staff Attorney Rob Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. with partners from Wisconsin and Michigan to raise awareness about the environmental risks posed by Enbridge Energy’s plan to construct a new segment of its Line 5 oil pipeline around the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin.
Line 5 is a hazardous liquid pipeline that conveys crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior, Wisconsin, through the heart of the Bad River Reservation (where a federal court has ruled that Enbridge is trespassing), through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, across the Straits of Mackinac, and southeast to Sarnia, Ontario.
Highlights of the trip include meetings with members of Congress, a briefing for congressional staff, and a joint meeting with the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ staff.
The group included eight high school students from Wisconsin, several of whom had previously worked with MEA staff on climate justice issues.
“It was tremendous to have these young people not only be present, but actively engaged and speaking their minds with the knowledge, passion, and conviction needed to make a difference,” said Attorney Lee. “They’re going to bear the burdens of the decisions we make today, and they deserve a seat at the table and the opportunity to have their voices heard.”
