FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
July 17, 2025
Contact: denzel@progressmichigan.org
POLL: Majority of Michiganders Oppose Line 5 Oil Tunnel Project
MICHIGAN – Progress Michigan’s monthly Lake Effect poll tracks public opinion about a variety of issues in Michigan. The most recent poll found that a majority of Michigan voters overall—including a majority of Independents, Republicans and an overwhelming majority of Democrats––oppose state agencies granting Enbridge permits to construct the Line 5 oil tunnel project, which independent safety experts have testified on the record regarding its explosion risks.
Majorities of Independents and Democrats believe that Gov. Whitmer should take these risks into consideration as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is reviewing Enbridge’s permit application for tunnel construction.
“From safety risks to threats of an oil spill disaster in the Great Lakes, allowing the Line 5 oil tunnel project to get built would put one-fifth of the world’s available, fresh surface water in harm’s way,” said Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan. “This is a foreign corporation’s fossil fuel project that Michigan taxpayers would be on the hook for owning for 99 years. In other words, our grandkids are going to have to end up dealing with this short-sighted decision. While President Trump and his bogus ‘energy emergency’ are speeding up the permitting process for the Line 5 tunnel federally, Gov. Whitmer and Michigan’s environmental regulators can still act to deny the permit and reject foreign corporate polluters that harm our air and water.”
Results of the question are reflected in the chart below:
In concert with Progress Michigan, Public Policy Polling interviewed 627 Michigan voters from July 10-11, 2025 by phone and text. Margin of error for this poll is +/-3.9%. Full results for this poll are available upon request.
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