Ohio state Rep. Brian Baldridge (R-90-Winchester) spoke before the Michigan Senate last week to encourage the state to keep Enbridge Line 5 operating.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revoked an easement in November that allowed energy transportation company Enbridge to operate dual petroleum pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac. Line 5 is a part of the system that carries fuel to the Midwest and Eastern Canada.
“Enbridge has routinely refused to take action to protect our Great Lakes and the millions of Americans who depend on them for clean drinking water and good jobs. They have repeatedly violated the terms of the 1953 easement by ignoring structural problems that put our Great Lakes and our families at risk,” Whitmer said in November. “Most importantly, Enbridge has imposed on the people of Michigan an unacceptable risk of a catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes that could devastate our economy and way of life.”
Enbridge has until May 12 to shut down the pipeline, according to Whitmer.
Baldridge was representing Ohio in relation to Ohio House Resolution 13, which urges Michigan to keep Line 5 operating. Line 5 employs several Ohio residents, Baldridge said.
“I drove to Michigan for one reason: to protect Ohio jobs,” Baldridge said in a statement. “We cannot allow a political decision to get in the way of hardworking Ohioans providing for their families. House Resolution 13 would keep Line 5 safely operating and protect Ohio jobs and protect the Great Lakes Regions’ shared economy.”
Baldridge chairs the Ohio House Transportation and Public Safety Committee.
“As a former county commissioner, I understand the real local impact that these changes in energy infrastructure create,” he said. “This decision by Michigan’s executive branch will negatively affect the everyday lives of Ohioans and Michiganders alike. Every job matters, and every job should be fought for.”
Read the resolution here.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
