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Canada has formally invoked an international treaty signed with the United States on Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, escalating disputes over controversial projects criticized by the environment and indigenous groups.
Line 5 transports 540,000 barrels of crude oil and refined products from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, but Michigan ordered Ambridge to shut it down because of concerns about possible leaks during operations under the Strait of Mackinac. Great Lakes .
Embrich ignored Michigan’s order and the two sides were involved in a lawsuit, while Ottawa has been urging American counterparts to intervene.
in a statement On Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister Mark Garno said that Canada had invoked the dispute settlement clause in the 1977 treaty signed with the United States, which “guaranteeed the uninterrupted transportation of light crude oil and natural gas liquids between the two countries.”
This is the first time the treaty has been invoked.
My statement on the transit pipeline of Line 5: https://t.co/mjw9eqi131 pic.twitter.com/CY5FkltybR
-Mark Garno (@MarcGarneau) October 4, 2021
“In response to Michigan’s efforts to close Line 5, Canada at the highest level of the US federal government has increased its importance to Canada’s economy and energy security,” Gano said.
“We also emphasized the importance of fully respecting and implementing the international agreements reached between the two countries.”
The announcement was slammed by the Canadian environmental organization 350. Said It states that “our government will do everything in its power to support the fossil fuel industry, and when they may abandon a just transition that puts people, our planet, and workers first.”
The US State Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on Monday.
Article 6 is the procedure used by the treaty to resolve disputes.
In a letter to the U.S. federal judge responsible for overseeing the case between Embridge and Michigan, Gordon Giffin, the legal counsel of the Government of Canada, asked the court to stop contacting Michigan No. 5 while the Article 6 proceedings are in progress. Any litigation related to the line closure order.
Sean McBrearty, the coordinator of the environmentalist Don’t Mix Oil and Water, criticized this.
“The actions taken by the Canadian government today ignore the risk of oil spills in the Great Lakes and appear to be apparently to postpone the legal decision to close the Onkyo Double Line No. 5 oil pipeline in the Mackinac Strait,” McBretti told Reuters.
In recent years, Aboriginal communities have raised objections to several large oil pipeline projects in Canada and the United States [File: Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters]Indigenous groups have also expressed serious concerns about Line 5, saying that the leak may endanger the freshwater supply of millions of people in the Great Lakes region and endanger local wildlife and marine species.
In May, Anishinabek Nation expressed its “disappointment” over the Canadian government’s opposition to Michigan’s pipeline closure.
“It is disturbing that the Canadian government will choose the treaties to comply with based on convenience and profit, not for the health, safety and well-being of all residents on these lands,” said Glen Hare, chairman of the Anishinabek Nation Grand Council. ) Said in a statement statement At that time.
“The Canadian government does not support treaties with Indigenous peoples, but will support the 1977 Pipeline Treaty.”
Monday’s announcement was welcomed by the Canadian Construction Union, which represents more than 500,000 construction workers.
Sean Strickland, the executive director of the group, said in a statement that ensuring the continued operation of Line 5 would “protect thousands of jobs on both sides of the border”. “The cancellation of the easement on Line 5 will not only threaten our energy security, it will also push up consumer prices, and it will also cost thousands of workers their livelihoods.”
Ontario Governor Doug Ford also expressed his support for Ottawa’s decision. “Line 5 is an important energy source for Ontario and can create thousands of high-paying jobs. We support the federal government in taking this important step,” Ford Tweet.
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