{"id":1393178,"date":"2022-03-22T07:30:29","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T11:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1393178"},"modified":"2022-03-22T07:30:58","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T11:30:58","slug":"republicans-renew-criticism-of-gov-whitmers-efforts-to-shut-off-key-oil-pipeline-as-energy-crisis-explodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-renew-criticism-of-gov-whitmers-efforts-to-shut-off-key-oil-pipeline-as-energy-crisis-explodes\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Renew Criticism of Gov. Whitmer\u2019s Efforts to Shut Off Key Oil Pipeline as Energy Crisis Explodes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-renew-criticism-of-gov-whitmers-efforts-to-shut-off-key-oil-pipeline-as-energy-crisis-explodes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1393178&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Republicans have renewed pressure on the State of Michigan to reverse course on its attempts to shut down Line 5, an operational oil pipeline that supplies much of the Midwest with energy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Line 5, which was built in 1953, carries about 540,000 barrels of oil and gas per day from Canada to Michigan, according\u00a0to the pipeline\u2019s operator, Enbridge.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cLine 5 is absolutely essential for not only northern Ohio, but also for Michigan,\u201d Republican Ohio Rep. Bob Latta, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview. \u201cWhen you look at it, it\u2019s over 540,000 barrels of product that goes through it a day and it has a $5 billion economic impact into our area.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Republicans have renewed pressure on the State of Michigan to reverse course on its attempts to shut down Line 5, an operational oil pipeline that supplies much of the Midwest with energy.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP leaders argued that Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should halt her effort to shutter the pipeline in light of the Ukraine crisis which has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/oil-market-report-march-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">threatened<\/a> a \u201cglobal oil supply shock.\u201d Since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, oil prices <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/02\/24\/crude-oil-prices-100-per-barrel-russia-ukraine\/\">skyrocketed<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/02\/crude-oil-russia-white-house-energy-sanctions\/\">above<\/a> $100 per barrel, <a href=\"https:\/\/markets.businessinsider.com\/commodities\/oil-price?type=wti\">touching<\/a> $120 per barrel at one point, and gasoline prices have <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/07\/gasoline-prices-all-time-high-russia-white-house\/\">hit record levels<\/a> nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s get real, the last thing this nation needs is to choke off even more domestic energy production which will push gas prices even higher,\u201d Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cYes, Line 5 needs to be replaced. Shutting it down, however, would cause real economic havoc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProceeding with replacement rather than shutting it down is the proper safe approach to protect the Great Lakes and our consumers,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Line 5, which was built in 1953, carries about 540,000 barrels of oil and gas per day from Canada to Michigan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.enbridge.com\/projects-and-infrastructure\/public-awareness\/line-5-michigan\/about-line-5\">according<\/a>\u00a0to the pipeline\u2019s operator, Enbridge. The pipeline provides energy to several Midwestern states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.<\/p>\n<p>The pipeline <a href=\"https:\/\/www.enbridge.com\/~\/media\/Enb\/Documents\/Factsheets\/FS_Without_Line5_econ_impact.pdf\">transports<\/a> 4.2-7.8 million gallons of refined products to Michigan per day, including the majority of the state\u2019s propane supply. Shutting Line 5 would lead to refineries in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania receiving about 45% less crude oil leading to a 14.7-million-gallon-per-day shortage of gas, diesel and jet fuel in the region, according to Enbridge. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/08\/joe-biden-administration-pipeline-michigan-energy-midwest-line-5\/?_page=38&#038;filter_by=featured&#038;ref=hexometer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Biden Mulls Shutting Down Pipeline That Supplies Energy To Midwest)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But in late 2020, Whitmer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/whitmer\/0,9309,7-387-90499_90640-545110--,00.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">revoked<\/a> a 1953 easement allowing Enbridge to operate pipelines in the state after <a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/attachments\/MIEOG\/2020\/06\/20\/file_attachments\/1478469\/Letter%20Gov.%20Whitmer%20to%20Al%20Monaco%20%286.20.20%29.pdf\">asking<\/a> the company to halt operations over environmental concerns. Enbridge then <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.miwd.99729\/gov.uscourts.miwd.99729.1.0_2.pdf\">filed a federal lawsuit<\/a> against Whitmer, arguing that the authority to regulate international pipelines was given to the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLine 5 is absolutely essential for not only northern Ohio, but also for Michigan,\u201d Republican Ohio Rep. Bob Latta, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told the DCNF in an interview. \u201cWhen you look at it, it\u2019s over 540,000 barrels of product that goes through it a day and it has a $5 billion economic impact into our area.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7394958\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7394958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Joe Biden walks with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Feb. 19, 2021, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Brendan Smialowski\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t have Line 5, we\u2019re in serious trouble and, again, what you\u2019re looking at is really the governor\u2019s activism up in Michigan,\u201d Latta said, noting the global energy supply crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Latta previously slammed the Biden administration after it <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/YR4-wKQkJVQ?t=3486\">announced<\/a> it began a review of the potential economic impacts of closing Line 5 in November 2021. He and a dozen other lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/latta.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402488\">wrote<\/a>\u00a0a letter to the White House at the time, urging it to keep the pipeline operational to avoid high energy costs for consumers in the region.<\/p>\n<p>In October 2021, meanwhile, the Canadian government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/global-affairs\/news\/2021\/10\/statement-by-minister-garneau-on-line-5-transit-pipeline.html\">invoked<\/a> a 1977 treaty between the two nations, prohibiting action that impedes U.S.-Canada pipelines. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau said the nation\u2019s government contacted the White House about \u201cfully respecting\u201d the treaty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what\u2019s going on with Russia and Ukraine, I think the world is learning right now that we can\u2019t be dependent on other nations for the supply of our oil and gas who are adversarial to us,\u201d Republican Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/ohio-lt-gov-blasts-michigan-gov-whitmer-shut-down-oil-pipeline\">told<\/a> Fox News on Monday. \u201cWe can work with nations who are allies \u2014 in this case, with Canada and Line 5 \u2014 but Michigan is being unreasonable and irresponsible with their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou see the consequence of higher fuel prices on public opinion and on the lives of working-class Americans,\u201d Husted said, according to Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Michigan Republicans passed a resolution in the state\u2019s House of Representatives that called for greater domestic oil production and the continued operations of Line 5, Michigan Live <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/public-interest\/2022\/03\/michigan-gop-senators-pass-resolution-to-keep-line-5-open-increase-domestic-oil-production.html\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe energy independence of the United States is critical to national security,\u201d the bill stated. \u201cReliance on foreign oil has impacted the United States\u2019 ability to intervene in conflicts around the world, including Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReliance on foreign sources of energy creates a potential risk that those sources could be jeopardized by United States\u2019 actions abroad, which could limit our ability to project American values,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer\u2019s office didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from Republican Michigan Rep. Fred Upton.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans have renewed pressure on the State of Michigan to reverse course on its attempts to shut down Line 5, an operational oil pipeline that supplies much of the Midwest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1393178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1393178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1393178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1393178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1393178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}