Nov 1, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Third Installment of Line 5 Documentary Premiers

As concern about the controversial Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac has accelerated – and played an increasingly prominent role in Michigan’s gubernatorial election – the third and final installment of Barton Bund’s documentary film, “Line 5 Part Three: Worse Case Scenario,” was released today. It is available at Line 5 Film (https://www.line5film.com) and on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G47EC651MMw.

“When we began this documentary a year ago, we had no idea of the imminent danger that this six-decade-old pipeline poses to Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region,” Director and Producer Barton Bund said. “With more than 1 million gallons of oil and other products pumping through Line 5 every hour, a spill would be catastrophic for the Straits, be simultaneously drawn into Lakes Michigan and Huron – and result in billions of dollars in damages, foul drinking water for millions, and kill an untold amount of wildlife, permanently scarring their habitats.”

Premiering less than a month after outgoing Michigan Governor Synder announced a non-binding agreement with Line 5 operator Enbridge, a Canadian oil company, to build a tunnel under the Straits, the “Worst Case Scenario” makes clear the sheer inadequacy of that plan.

Featuring interviews with federal and state politicians, tribal leaders, scientists, business leaders, and environmental supporters, the film showcases a powerful consensus that the time to shut down Line 5 is now – and that any delay, much less for a decade or more while a plan for a tunnel which may or may not be built is developed, is a mammoth abdication of responsibility.

Importantly, the film also calls into question the oft-repeated (and likely inaccurate) economic benefits that Line 5 is said to bring to Michigan, the ability of Enbridge to respond to a spill adequately and in a timely manner. The film also debunks the fiction that Line 5 is necessary to deliver propane in the winter to parts of the Upper Peninsula and rural Michiganders.

“While this series is ending, the story is far from over. In the coming year, we will continue to hold our elected leaders accountable,” Bund emphasized.

Appearing in Part Three are Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Frank Ettawageshik, Dana Nessel, Beth Wallace, Mike Shriberg, Andy Buchsbaum, Homer Mandoka, Joe Short, Larry Bell, David Wayne Bryson, Howard “Skip” Elliot, Bruce Wallace, Charles Borgsdorf, Chris Wahmhoff, Eric Hemenway, and Ian Bund.

About The Line 5 Films

The Line 5 films are a production of Catalytic Art & Media and The School Paper. Director and Editor: Barton Bund; Producers: Ian Bund, Sally Bund, and Barton Bund; Director of Photography: Kyle Morgan; Assistant Director: Jaron Gordon; Original music: Matthew Raetzel and Stephanie Robb; and Drone photography: Charles Dawley. To view Parts One and Two: https://www.line5film.com.