Line 5 Relocation Project Supporters Join Safest Way Tour in Brownsville
September 20th, 2023
Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Staff
BROWNSVILLE — A group of local citizens, labor leaders, business leaders, and tribal members gathered at the Michels Corporation on Wednesday to show their support for the $450 million proposed Line 5 relocation project in Ashland, Bayfield and Iron Counties. Participants in the event organized by the Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition also took the opportunity to show their support by signing a pipeline similar to the one to be used on the proposed project.
The relocation project, which is estimated to create over 700 Wisconsin construction jobs, is currently being reviewed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Supporters at Wednesday’s event heard from elected officials, business, labor, and tribal leaders on the economic need for the relocation project and why pipelines are the safest way to transport the energy our state, region and nation need to power our economy and ensure our quality of life.
“Michels is a proud Wisconsin company and we can assure everyone that safety and environmental stewardship will guide every step we take as we build the Line 5 relocation project,” stated Pat Michels, President and CEO of Michels Corporation, which has been selected as the mainline contractor for the Line 5 relocation project. “The Line 5 project will not only support 1,000 jobs in Wisconsin, but it will inject millions into the state’s economy, all while ensuring the energy our region needs continues to flow.”
Terry McGowan, President and Business Manager for the Operating Engineers Local 139, stated, “The Line 5 relocation project will be completed safely and with the least environmental impact possible because our union workers not only receive the best training in the world, but they call Wisconsin home. It’s time for the Line 5 project to move forward.”
“Native communities rely heavily on the energy Line 5 supplies – especially propane,” said Kim Kastern, small business owner and Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribal member. “Enbridge has gone above and beyond in working with tribal businesses like ours and providing job opportunities for tribal members with their commitment of allocating $50 million of the Line 5 relocation project budget to native-owned businesses and training tribal members to work on the project.”
“Our state’s union men and women have been waiting patiently to begin work on the Line 5 relocation project,” said Corey Gall, president of the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association. “These highly skilled union welders have spent years in the classroom and in the field receiving rigorous training to ensure the Line 5 project is completed safely and to the highest standards possible.”
Banners flanked the 34-foot pipe that highlighted these key pipeline facts:
• Pipelines have a 99.99% safety record
• Shutting pipelines like Line 5 would dramatically increase gas and diesel prices in the region
• Line 5 is major supplier of Midwest propone used to heat homes, cook food and dry crops
• Pipeline projects provide good paying jobs and boost local economies
In addition to being the safest way to carry Wisconsin’s critical energy supply, an independent economic impact study estimated the Line 5 relocation project would add $135 million to Wisconsin’s economic output, increase state tax revenues by millions and support more than 1,000 jobs in the State of Wisconsin. Enbridge has signed a letter of intent with Wisconsin-based Michels Pipeline, Inc. as the mainline contractor for the project, and a Project Labor Agreement was signed last year with the Laborers International Union of North America, International Union of Operating Engineers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters.
The event in Brownsville is part of a three-day, four-city swing this week for the Safest Way Tour. Other stops this week include Baraboo, Madison and Pewaukee. In its second year, the Safest Way Tour has made over 20 stops, with more than 1,700 people participating in the tour. You can learn more about the Safest Way Tour at safestwaywi.com.
The Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition is a coalition of Wisconsinites working together to ensure safe, affordable, and reliable energy while creating jobs and generating economic growth in Wisconsin. Members include dozens of diverse organizations and businesses representing Wisconsin’s workers, manufacturers, farmers, and communities. Learn more at: https://wijobsandenergy.com/.
Article provided via ArenaStrategy.com.
