Kate Madigan argues in this persuasive article in Bridge Magazine that Climate Change is visibly affecting our earth, clean, renewable energy is already cheaper than burning oil, and we can’t afford 99 more years of Line 5 oil.

“The Michigan Public Service Commission, which is deciding the fate of the Enbridge tunnel pipeline permit, has the legal duty to decide if a proposed project will harm human health and the environment. With global warming as the single greatest threat to the health of our planet today, the commission must give this issue the weight it’s due."

August 19, 2020

Kate Madigan

Guest Commentary

Do you believe in fireflies? Kind of a silly question, since fireflies are real. We see them with our own eyes, wondrously blinking green in the summer night. We don’t use the words “believe in them” to discuss fireflies— mystical though they seem — because they are facts of our lives.

Another real thing we see with our own eyes is evidence of global warming. We see the overflowing and overheating Great Lakes, strengthening storms, breaching dams, record hot years, melting glaciers, raging wildfires, and much more. However, people still say “I believe in” or “I don’t believe in” climate change.

But we no longer have the luxury of viewing climate change as belief. Climate change is real and big, and we must deal with it in real and big ways. If we don’t, as the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report showed, impacts will keep getting worse, and the planet we leave our children and generations beyond will be seriously damaged. They will struggle with great challenges we could have prevented.

The solution to global warming consists of many pieces, and Michigan now has an opportunity to do something real about one of the bigger pieces. The Canadian oil pipeline company Enbridge seeks permits to build a pipeline tunnel through the soil beneath the Mackinac Straits. When burned, the fuel within the pipeline will annually generate more atmospheric carbon than the COMBINED carbon emissions of the U.S.’s top-three most polluting coal-burning power plants. 

If built, the pipeline would be a major contributor to global warming for up to 99 years —the permit period Enbridge requests. But scientists tell us we must eliminate climate emissions in a few decades, and cut carbon emissions in half within 10 years.

The Michigan Public Service Commission, which is deciding the fate of the Enbridge tunnel pipeline permit, has the legal duty to decide if a proposed project will harm human health and the environment. With global warming as the single greatest threat to the health of our planet today, the commission must give this issue the weight it’s due.

Climate change can no longer be relegated to a side mention—an unfortunate but unavoidable result of the need to keep the oil flowing, noted as we ink up the rubber stamp. Those days are past. Climate change must move to the center of the discussion and be a primary factor in the permit outcome.

The commission also has the duty to determine if feasible alternatives to the tunnel pipeline are available, and the answer is yes. The Pipeline Safety Advisory Board report found feasible alternatives to Line 5 more than two years ago. And fossil fuels are rapidly being replaced by electrification and renewable energy, which is now cheaper than coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear. 

As for oil consumption, automotive analysts expect sales of electric vehicles to surpass traditional vehicles in 2030. That shift would sharply diminish the need for oil surging through a pipeline in the Straits, and would arrive with about 95 years left on the tunnel permit. 

It’s tragic how successful the oil industry has been in bolting its fate to things like political party, patriotism, and even people’s faiths. But it’s time we remove those bolts and assess climate change apart, on its own, for what it is. Global warming is a problem of physics. It is caused by human-produced carbon in the atmosphere. We have the power to slow climate change and reverse it. 

Contact the Michigan Public Service Commission and Governor Whitmer before the Aug. 24 hearing to say Michigan must deny the Enbridge tunnel pipeline—based on sound science and legal duty.

The Michigan Climate Action Network has teamed with the Environmental Law & Policy Center to present testimony and supporting proof to the MPSC that the Enbridge tunnel permit should be denied.

Watch Peter Sinclair's Climate Change Solutions 2021 webinar held on February 26, 2021.

Resources from the Conversation

Clean Energy Resources

• Wind Energy Resources - Wind101
• Wind101 on Facebook
• Solar Energy Resources - Sun101
• Sun101 on Facebook

Take Action in Michigan - Like, discuss, and support local Clean Energy

• Montcalm County Wind Energy Resources
• Make Lenawee County Shine
• Northern Michigan Climate Action Council (NMEAC)
• Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN)
• For Love of Water (FLOW)
• Oil & Water Don't Mix

More resources for continuing information

• Yale Climate Connections - Peter Sinclair Playlist
• Peter Sinclair’s (mostly serious but tongue in cheek) blog, Climate Denial Crock of the Week
• Inside Climate News
• Heated - Valuable blog on climate and media
• Recommended book: The New Climate War by Michael Mann

News accounts of recent Events

• Associated Press: Texas Blackouts Fuel False Claims
• ABC News: “It’s Not Too Late” Series on Climate News - Hear good Texas Blackout analysis
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Fact Check on Texas Blackouts
• Winter Freezes in a Warming World
• Washington Post: Scientists see Stronger Evidence of Slowing Atlantic Circulation
• Michigan Dams Need Immediate Attention to prevent Next Failure
• Scientist Stefan Rahmstorf: Twitter Thread on Arctic Air outbreaks

Selected Comments and Links from Participants During the Conversation

• Get involved in Climate Action with Michigan Climate Action Network
• Oil & Water Don't Mix Campaign - to Shut Down Line 5
• www.stopcricketvalley.org
• A new paper out today affirms the unprecedented slowdown of the Gulf Stream System (the AMOC). 
• Some great Black climate scientists to consider
• Katherine Hayhoe is a wonderfully talented communicator
• As the former Co-ED of Water Protectors Legal Collective from Standing Rock, I can definitely speak to the intimidation and harassment of citizens and county officials by fossil fuel hires and supporters. Last year, when attending water hearings in South Dakota (re: permitting for KXL pipeline), I had to take a bodyguard because workers and clients were getting run off the road and threatened with guns.
• Don't forget the crucial role that Energy Efficiency needs to play in the clean energy revolution.
• I built a solarium to capture and sequester solar heat and on every sunny day this winter I have had temperatures above 90 F. for most of the day. I open the door to allow heat to warm our home.
• We need to fill up boards and commissions with people concerned about climate change.
• John Elkington’s Book “Green Swans “ addresses this question of Climate Change and current models of Capitalism.
• Capitalism = let our dollars speak. Shouldn't we use our dollars to buy products from companies that have strong commitments and progress on emission reductions? Invest in them -- eg 401k. Corporations are the source of emissions (our dollars in some ways behind that), but they can be the solution.
• Need to watch Alain Godeau’s recent presentation on “Our Changing Energy Systems..it’s a comprehensive explanation of what Peter is talking about.
• The #1 thing everyone can do is become politically active - advocate for people who want to make the climate changes we need. Get involved in campaigns to shut down fossil fuel infrastructure like Line 5. Run for local office to ensure climate action at the local level.
• There are more solutions than just clean energy. Drawdown is a terrific resource to find something that may be in your wheelhouse to advocate for.
• It’s not about personal actions and your own energy use - it’s about GETTING POLITICALLY ACTIVE!
• Our www.annarborcommunitycommons.org is building a resilient community that can resist negative economic forces.
• Intention: Let's involved with our local community! (township, village, city) :D It can make it fun, rewarding, joyful, and hopeful. If anyone is interested in engaging with local government to advocate for energy transition and climate resilience, I'd be happy to share thoughts and ideas [email protected], (231) 360 0692
• Citizens' Climate Lobby provides extensive training and resources for becoming more effective advocates to our communities and our members of Congress. It's an amazing support network.
• Get tools to work for climate. Free training at The Climate Reality Project
• We need continued pressure on Gov Whitmer - sources say that she will be compromising with Enbridge and allowing the tunnel to go through and allowing the oil in Line 5 to flow if they follow a 5-year timeline.
• Enbridge/Banks: TD, Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, RBC, CIBC, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, MUFG, National Bank of Canada
• Invest your value
• Corporate Knights
• Companies with Science-Based Targets
• Learn to give climate change presentations at The Climate Reality Project.

Another Wonderful Celebration

Our signature Annual event is the NMEAC Environmentalist of the Year Awards and Celebration. It has occurred annually for 36 years, most recently on May 16, 2025. A video of the event will be posted here.

Explore 2025 Recipients

Brad Kik, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, was our keynote speaker. He shared wisdom about his mission, and it's worth a watch.

Brad Kik, Co-Director and Co-Founder, Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology

Thank you to Jeremy Reisig of J Hobbs Music for opening up the celebration!

Jeremy Reisig of J Hobbs Music

About the Webinar

Michigan is at a pivotal juncture in the face of escalating climate impacts. The recent surge in climate-related events has shattered the illusion of immunity, underscoring the urgent need for action. Amidst this backdrop, Governor Whitmer's ambitious energy legislation has ignited a battleground, pitting forward-thinking environmentalists against the entrenched interests of fossil fuel companies and the MAGA allies doing its bidding.

This is not just a local issue; Michigan's fight is a microcosm of the global struggle against climate change. The decisions we make and the actions we take here have far-reaching implications for the planet's future.

To navigate these turbulent waters, we're hosting an essential webinar with Peter Sinclair, a renowned climate communicator and advocate. Peter has been at the forefront of climate education, using his expertise to demystify complex issues and mobilize action. In this webinar, he will guide us through the intricacies of Michigan's climate challenges and outline the critical steps we must take to address them.

Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, Michigan Sierra Club Clearwater Chapter, and For Love of Water present this look at the prevalence and threat of microplastics in the Great Lakes with Art Hirsch.

Enjoy this webinar recorded on January 25, 2023.

What Can You Do?

Art mentioned that the number one thing you can do to help with the problem of microplastics is to contact your legislator and ask them to act. Here are the legislators who have shown an interest - don't hesitate to contact them.

Michigan Representatives

• Representative Betsy Coffia  517-373-3817
• Representative Lorie Pohutsky 517-373-1530
• Representative Rachel Hood 517-373-1790
• Representative Jenn Hill 517-373-0498
• Representative David Martin 517-373-0826
• Representative David Prestin 517-373-0156
• Representative Josh Schriver 517-373-0839

Michigan Senators

• Senator McCann 517-373-5100
• Senator Sue Shink 517-373-2426
• Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet 517-373-1725
• Senator Sam Singh 517-373-3447
• Senator Polehanki 517-373-7350
• Senator Dan Lauwers 517-373-7708
• Senator John Damoose 517-373-2413
• Senator Jeff Irwin 517-373-3206
• Senator Rosemary Bayer 517-373-2417
• Senator Bumstead 517-373-1635
• Senator Hauck 517-371-1760
• Senator Rick Outman 517-373-3760

Watch the October 11, 2023, webinar featuring Peter Sinclair. He dives into the state's Clean Energy Future bills and the troubling resistance to moving clean energy forward in Michigan.

Brandie Ekren, the Executive Director of Traverse City Light & Power, spoke to NMEAC board members and supporters several times since she arrived in 2022.

Her presentation in May 2024 was about the progress TCL&P is making toward a greener energy future.

Her presentation in January 2023 was about the TCL&P Climate Action Plan.

In July 2022, she talked about her new role for Traverse City's municipal utility.