By Lon Johnson, Candidate for Michigan's 1st District Congressional Seat
This past Saturday, we held a town hall meeting in St. Ignace to talk about the threat the Line 5 oil pipeline is posing to our Great Lakes. I was so pleased that more than 100 community members came to the event to share their thoughts and concerns about this critical issue.
Line 5 is a 60-year-old pipeline running under the Straits of Mackinac. It carries more than 500,000 barrels of oil and other petroleum products every day, passing through pristine, fresh water that supports fisheries, provides drinking water and sits at the heart of our thriving tourism industry.
The Canadian company operating the pipeline has a terrible safety record, having been responsible for major spills in Michigan and throughout North America. We can’t simply take their word that Line 5 is safe. We need an independent inspection to prove it.
As the member of Congress representing the U.P. and Northern Michigan, I promise to fight for the causes that matter to you. The people of the 1st Congressional District deserve a congressman who works as hard as they do.
* Click here to see more photos from the March 5 Town Hall on Lon Johnson's Facebook page. He invites readers to share them on Facebook to raise awareness about this serious threat to the Great Lakes.
Visit Lon Johnson's Web site to see the list of communities that have passed resolutions calling for the shutdown of the flow of oil in the Line 5 pipeline.
