Straits of Mackinac via Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons
Every day, about 20 million gallons of oil travel through an underwater pipeline at the narrow passage that connects lakes Michigan and Huron.
“There’s a lot of concern that this line could rupture,” says Mike Shriberg of the National Wildlife Federation, which helps organize the Great Lakes Business Network. It’s a coalition of more than 90 business leaders lobbying to end the use of this pipeline.
Many of their companies, from breweries to outdoor outfitters, depend on the water and tourism it generates.
Shriberg: “They’re not saying ‘we want to shut down the flow of oil and natural gas’… They’re saying, ‘there are better ways to get it from point a to point b than risking the most important freshwater resource in the world.”
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about the Great Lakes Business Network and their focus on the Straits of Mackinac Pipeline.
- Read more about the risks from the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities.
- Find out what a spill would mean for the shoreline from The Detroit News.
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
