Dear Gender Neutral President,

Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Not only are they known together as the great lakes but also as an important natural resource to the United States. They also have Line 5 in common. An oil pipeline running through the great lakes that has the potential to contaminate 6 quintillion gallons of water. Comprising about 20% of the world's freshwater supply the great lakes are able to provide to the midwest and the country with water. Oil is something that we count on in our everyday life for energy. The importance of oil is very clear and it is important that we understand this because the necessity of shipping oil must remain, however how they ship the oil is important. Oil through Line 5 is scary and problematic. The effects of contaminating the great lakes would be detrimental to the economy of Michigan, and other surrounding midwestern states. The Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through the Great Lakes is something that must be updated and fixed. Although there are currently no problems with the oil pipeline there will be. Inevitability of some sort of problem is easy to see, however the signs are ignored.

Throughout the years, since the installation of Line 5, the erosion of the pipeline has only increased. The unprotected pipeline has been continually eroded by the water since its creation during the 1950’s. An increase in volume and pressure of the oil in Line 5 shows that the instability and foundation faults of the pipeline are very problematic. Through investigations by various environmental companies, it is shown that the company in charge of the oil for Line 5 has a tarnished safety record. The company itself is unsafe and also unreliable. Untrustworthy companies in charge of important environmental and economic procedures should be held to a higher standard. Although there is an economic advantage to shipping oil through pipelines the perspective must be seen from an environmental point of view. The environmental perspective shows that the world and its natural resources are more than just a dollar sign. That the oil may be worth money but the Great Lakes are priceless and impossible to replace. The environmental issues seen in society must be addressed over fear of problems being irreversible.