Unflagging persistence and sharp legal insight enabled the attorneys at Environmental Law & Policy Center to convince the Michigan Public Service Commission that climate impacts must be considered in the environmental assessment of the proposed Enbridge Line 5 oil tunnel. The decision was a historic first: No project had ever had to answer to CO2 emissions under the Michigan Environmental Protection Act. The implications of that decision became more clear recently when four renowned experts—hired by ELPC and co-intervenor Michigan Climate Action Network—provided testimony to the MPSC that showed how Michigan, the Great Lakes Region, and the earth beyond would suffer because of CO2 emissions resulting from an oil tunnel, and pointing out that there are feasible alternatives. In this episode of Speaking of Resilience, host Kate Madigan invites the ELPC’s lead attorney on the case, Margrethe Kearney, to explore key takeaways from the expert testimony and to sketch out what comes next in the tunnel permit process.

Speaking of Resilience is created by the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities and the Michigan Climate Action Network. This episode was produced by Taylor Cramer of Cold Shower Media in collaboration with Nick Loud of the Boardman Review, and hosted by Kate Madigan.