Trudeau Says Discussed With Biden Fate of US-Canadian Oil Pipeline Slated for Closure

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he discussed the fate of a cross-border oil pipeline between the United States and Canada slated for closure by Michigan with President Joe Biden during Tuesday's virtual summit.

In November, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that her government is moving forward with a plan to shut down Canadian energy giant Enbridge's Line 5 pipelines through the Straits of Mackinac, citing the threat of oil spills that may devastate the environment and economy.

"Yes, we raised Line 5," Trudeau said during Question Period on Wednesday.

The prime minister did not offer any more details about the conversation. Neither the Prime Minister's Office or the office of Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan immediately responded to Sputnik's request for comment.

The pipeline is a critical part of the Canadian energy industry, as it carries oil from Western Canada to refineries in Ontario and the United States.

The controversy centers around a four-mile stretch of the pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac, which separates the state's lower and upper peninsulas and two of Great Lakes - Michigan and Huron. The Governor's office said that Great Lakes supply drinking water to more than five million Michigan residents and support up to 350,000 jobs in the state, which jeopardized by the aging pipeline.

The notice, should it come into effect, will require Enbridge to cease operations of its Line 5 by May 2021.

Line 5 transports up to 540,000 barrels per day of light crude oil, light synthetic crude, and natural gas liquids, which are refined into propane, according to Enbridge.