DNR To Host Virtual Public Hearing On Draft Environmental Impact Statement On Proposed Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline Relocation

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a virtual public hearing on Feb. 2 on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that the department has prepared for the proposed relocation of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties.

Enbridge, Inc. has proposed constructing approximately 41 miles of a new 30-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline to relocate its existing Line 5 pipeline outside of tribal lands of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The company also proposes abandoning approximately 20 miles of its existing 30-inch-diameter Line 5 pipeline, including the section that currently crosses the Bad River Reservation.

The DNR has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to inform decision-makers and the public about the environmental and socioeconomic effects of the proposed relocation and alternatives.

The virtual hearing will begin at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 via Zoom. To attend the hearing and provide oral comments, please register in-advance here.

When you register, you will be asked to provide your name and contact information, as well as indicate whether you wish to make an oral statement at the hearing. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting online.

Members of the public who do not wish to provide testimony during the hearing and only want to listen, can watch a live feed of the hearing on the DNR’s YouTube channel.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement by email or regular mail. Submit electronic and hardcopy written comments at any time before Friday, March 4, 2022 to:

Department of Natural Resources
Line 5 EIS Comments (EA/7)
101 South Webster Street, Madison, WI 53707
Email: DNROEEACOMMENTS@WI.GOV

The DNR will consider all public comments received during the comment period, including any other pertinent information that becomes known to the department, and will prepare a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The public will be notified when the Final Environmental Impact Statement is completed. No permit decisions will be made until after the Environmental Impact Statement process is complete.

More information on the proposed project and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available on the DNR’s Enbridge Pipeline Projects webpage.

HEARING INFORMATION

What: Virtual Public Hearing On Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Proposed Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline Relocation

When: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022

Where: Register via Zoom here.

To join by phone, use the following toll-free number: 1-888-475-4499. When prompted on the phone, enter the following conference ID: 871 8245 2125.

Watch Live: Members of the public who do not wish to provide testimony during the hearing and only want to listen, can watch a live feed of the hearing on the DNR’s YouTube channel.