Stand with Creation and Indigenous Nations: Protect the Great Lakes

For eight years, Enbridge’s answer to concerns about the Line 5 oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac has been “wait for the tunnel.” Following the Michigan Supreme Court’s July 31 ruling restoring the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and public trust as standards for state permitting, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE Director Phil Roos are saying Michigan has waited long enough. They have halted a key tunnel permit and reopened the review, creating an opportunity to reconsider the future of Line 5 and protect the Great Lakes.

The state will now take a closer look at the proposed tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac. Governor Whitmer has also called on Enbridge to stop treating the tunnel as the only option and to begin working toward getting oil out of the Straits.

For people of faith, this is about more than a pipeline or tunnel. The Great Lakes are life-giving waters, and caring for them is part of our responsibility to care for Creation. It is also a matter of justice: Tribal nations have carried this fight for more than a decade, and their treaty rights and sovereignty must be respected. We are called to stand with Indigenous nations and honor their knowledge, relationship to the land and waters, and treaty rights.

The work is not finished. Join people of faith across Michigan in thanking Governor Whitmer and Director Roos for taking action—and urging them to continue protecting the Great Lakes, honoring Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights, and moving toward a future beyond Line 5.

Join us on the first Tuesday of each month from 8-8:30pm as we call our lawmakers! 

We will NOT be gathering on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. We look forward to being with you again on Tuesday, Sept. 1!  

Each month, we choose a timely issue, provide a sample script and lawmaker phone numbers, and Call for Climate Justice.

Together! 

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