The White House assured reporters on Tuesday that it wasn’t considering closing Michigan’s controversial oil and gas pipeline, but admitted to studying the possibility.
President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on Nov. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
When Whitney Gravelle saw reports earlier this week that President Biden might be considering the shutdown of Michigan’s controversial Line 5 pipeline, she was elated.
For years, she and other Native tribal members in the state had been fighting for the decommission of the 68-year-old fossil fuel pipeline, which they say has long violated their tribal rights and risks contaminating the Great Lakes and other lands that their communities depend on for their livelihoods and traditions.
The news reports, denied by White House officials, received fierce criticism from Republicans, who said shutting down such a vital fuel line would only exacerbate the country’s already surging natural gas prices.