LANSING, MI--Leading Democratic and Republican candidates for Michigan’s next governor are meeting Thursday, May 31 on
Mackinac Island for a debate hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber of
Commerce. Mackinac Island is ground zero
for an Enbridge oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac. A new EPIC-MRI poll made public today shows 87 percent of likely voters
in Michigan’s November election are concerned about a Great Lakes oil spill
from Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Straits .
Sierra Club and Clean Water Action Think Candidates
for Governor Should Answer the Following Questions as They Debate on Mackinac Island in the Shadow of Dangerous Line 5:
1) As Governor will you use your authority to
shut down Enbridge Line 5 and keep all oil pipelines out of the Great Lakes?
2) Will you pledge today to not accept any campaign contributions from political action committees or individuals connected with Enbridge Energy or the oil industry?
3) Enbridge Energy has violated its agreement
with the State of Michigan to operate Line 5 by failing to maintain anchor
supports as required and allowing protective pipeline coatings to
deteriorate. Will you as Governor use
your authority to revoke the state’s easement agreement with Enbridge for Line
5 in the Straits of Mackinac?
4) Will you state
unequivocally that you oppose any replacement scheme for Line 5 in the Straits
of Mackinac that keeps oil pipelines in the Great Lakes, including a tunnel
through the Straits?
5) The Treaty of 1836 establishes the right
to fish in the Straits of Mackinac for Michigan’s Native American tribes. This
right is dependent on a healthy ecosystem to support fish stocks. Do you agree that this Treaty prevents the state
from legally permitting a tunnel, trench or other pipeline construction that
would damage the ecological resources of the Straits and leave Native American
fishing rights at risk from an oil pipeline rupture?
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