Arguing that many people in Michigan are depending on a Great Lakes Tunnel, the Great Lakes Michigan Jobs coalition will address the Michigan Public Service Commission this evening in support of permitting for the proposed project.
Members of the Great Lakes Michigan Jobs coalition this evening are attending and presenting support for the Great Lakes Tunnel at a public hearing of the Michigan Public Service Commission about permit applications filed by Enbridge to build the Tunnel.
Mike Alaimo, Director of Environmental and Energy Affairs for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and a spokesperson for Great Lakes Michigan Jobs, says, ”Families and workers are depending on construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel to preserve our natural resources, protect Michigan jobs, and keep energy prices affordable.” He adds, “The Michigan Public Service Commission has the opportunity – by approving Enbridge’s application – to help make the risk of a spill in the Straits virtually zero, and to create critical jobs in the process. We hope they’ll support our economy, support our business community, and support Michigan’s comeback.”
Leading Michigan voices from labor, business and industry have formed the Great Lakes Michigan Jobs coalition, and have filed individual public comments in support of the Tunnel project. They are speaking out together, encouraging state and federal agencies currently reviewing permit applications – and all Michiganders – to embrace the Tunnel project, and the lakes and jobs it protects.
The coalition also submitted to the public service commission more than 3,000 individual public comment cards and petition signatures from union members, job creators, and individuals who support construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel.
The coalition is made up of diverse organizations, including:
- Lake Superior Community Partnership
- Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council
- Michigan Chamber of Commerce
- Michigan Chemistry Council
- Michigan Laborers Union
- Michigan Manufacturers Association
- Michigan Oil and Gas Association
- Michigan Petroleum Association
- Michigan Propane Gas Association
- Midland Business Alliance
- National Federation of Independent Business Michigan
- Operating Engineers 324
- Small Business Association of Michigan
- American Petroleum Institute
The proposed Great Lakes Tunnel would house a replacement segment of Line 5, the pipeline that crosses the straits along the bottom of the lake-bed connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas. The Line 5 pipeline safely delivers the fuel that homeowners and worksites count on to keep Michigan’s economy moving.
Amy Clickner, CEO of the Lake Superior Community Partnership and a member of the Great Lakes Michigan Jobs coalition, says, “Michigan businesses and the men and women who make them run depend on the fuel the Great Lakes Tunnel will deliver,” and adds, “The project is a $500 million private investment in Michigan’s energy infrastructure – at no cost to taxpayers – and it’ll generate critical jobs and tax revenue for years to come. We’re excited about tonight’s opportunity to address the MPSC and to move this critical economic project one step closer to the finish line.”
To learn more about the coalition, the Great Lakes Tunnel project or to join the coalition, you can visit online at this link: http://GreatLakesMichiganJobs.com
