Your Voice
Shut down Line 5
Line 5 to our peers and get them to take action with our email writing campaign to Governor Whitmer,” stated Rachel Hu. It is by informing the public and prompting them to take action in
writing to Governor Whitmer and other respective representatives that Ms. Hu hopes to finally prompt the shutdown of line 5 and protect our lakes. Alex Darga
Local frontline heroes High school students organized a “Shut Down Line 5” protest July 17 at Ford Field.
This summer marks the 10th anniversary of the Enbridge Kalamazoo River oil spill, an event in which 1.1 million gallons of oil were accidentally spilled into the Kalamazoo River following the bursting of an oil pipeline operated by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian oil and gas company. This event was one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history and cost the taxpayers of Michigan millions to clean up and counteract. On July 17, a group of western Wayne County high school students from the Michigan Youth Activism Society organized a” Shut Down Line 5 “protest event at Ford Field in Northville, for the purpose of informing the public of the risks of oil contamination that the Great Lakes face and the dangers thereof should the lakes be contaminated in such an event similar to the Enbridge spill in Kalamazoo. Today Line 5, a pipeline operated by Enbridge, poses such a risk to the Great Lakes. The “SHUT DOWN LINE 5” event at Ford Field in Northville was an informative wake up call for me. There has been over 33 breaks in the line already leaking over 1 million gallons of oil into our Great Lakes. During the event, Rachel Hu and Rishika Neole, the heads of the Michigan
Youth Activism Society and organizers of the protest gave presentations detailing extensive research on the threat Line 5’s continued operation poses to the lakes. Similarly, Dr. Aaron Payment, chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie, Tribe of Chippewa Indians and president of the United Tribes of Michigan, wrote a letter on how Line 5 provides no value in the Upper Peninsula, while Representative Matt Koleszar spoke to the students about the pending deliberation in the Michigan House of Representatives, on the issue of the proposed tunneling of the pipeline and its dangers. Representative Koleszar also pointed out how the jobs being promised by Enbridge were minor and temporary when compared to the long lasting positions and good that clean energy alternatives offered. Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull also sent a letter expressing his support for the student’s efforts to bring public awareness to the hazards of the oil line. The students are demanding that the pipeline be shut down and that Governor Whitmer revoke the 1953 easement giving permission for Enbridge to operate in the Great Lakes. “We mainly wanted to spread awareness of the issue with Enbridge
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4 The ‘Ville
I saw recently in the magazine that you wanted names of Northville residents who have been working on the frontline of the pandemic. I am a resident of Northville Township and am a physician assistant. I Awdish Parikh work at a pediatrics clinic. It is not the “frontline” but everyday I am potentially exposed to children/parents/ guardians who could be sick with COVID-19. I would like you to recognize my Northville Township neighbors and friends who are on the frontline: • Dr. Dominic Misiak: a resident at Saint Mary’s • Sirjana Pumford: a nurse at Saint Mary’s • Dr. Reena Salgia: a liver specialist at Henry Ford • Dr. Sachin Parikh: a cardiologist at Henry Ford • Dr. Rana Awdish: a critical care physician at Henry Ford Åsa Jude-Vassallo
