Photo By Shannon Bauer | Wisconsin Rep. Angie Sapik speaks at the Line 5 relocation public hearing in Ashland,...... read more read more
The St. Paul District’s regulatory division hosted a public hearing in Ashland, Wisconsin, June 5, to solicit public opinion on its controversial draft Environmental Assessment for the Enbridge Energy Wisconsin Line 5 Relocation project.
Enbridge’s proposed project includes replacing approximately 20 miles of the existing Line 5 pipeline, including approximately 12 miles of pipeline within the Bad River Reservation, with 41 miles of a new pipeline segment that would be located entirely outside the boundaries of the reservation. The project requires a permit from the Corps of Engineers, so the company can fill material into 998 square feet (0.02 acre) of wetlands and temporary discharge f ill into 101.1 acres of wetlands and 0.20 acre of non-wetland waters (i.e., streams, swales, and ditches).
The hearing was held to gather information from the public for the Corps’ consideration as part of its review of the project. The meeting drew more than 450 attendees and was held in two sessions. A lottery was held before each session to determine the speakers. Those who were not afforded the opportunity to speak were asked to submit comments in writing. Protesters for and against the project gathered outside of the hearing location, starting around 7 a.m. that morning but were directed to a prearranged gathering place. Approximately eight different media/social media outlets covered the event. Col. Eric Swenson, district commander; Chad Konickson, regulatory chief; and John Carrell, chief counsel, served as the panel during the hearing.
To plan for the meeting, which could easily have turned contentious, Bill Sande, regulatory project manager, said, the district consulted with the Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise at the Institute for Water to plan the meeting’s format. Further, members of information technology, office of counsel, public affairs and security supported the hearing – with 22 district staff members from regulatory and each of these offices working at the hearing.
“The meeting went very well, considering how controversial this project is,” said Sande. “For the most part, the attendees were very polite. We heard a lot of commentary on whether people were for or against the proposed project, although we did hear some substantive comments regarding potential construction related effects to waters of the United States, including wetlands.
The district released the draft environmental assessment for the project May 20 and has extended the comment period until Aug. 30 at the request of numerous organizations and individuals. Sande said that as of July 15, nearly 100,000 public comments have been received.
For more information on the project: www. mvp.usace.army.mil/Enbridge_Line5-WI/
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2024 16:10 |
| Story ID: | 479688 |
| Location: | ASHLAND, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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