Enbridge Line 5
Wicked Problems
A wicked problem is complex and may seem impossible to solve. They often cannot be clearly defined because there are many interdependent factors. These factors require deep understanding from experts and others since understanding them is often incomplete, difficult, and always changing. There are a variety of solutions that help solve the interconnected problems intertwined in a wicked problem.
Wicked Problems of Climate Change
There are many problems that contribute to the complex problem of climate change including greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), exploitation of natural resources, deforestation, industrial agriculture, etc. Climate change has many solutions in various fields. From environmental science which implements science-based solutions to address problems facing the environment all the way to governmental environment law which is the body of the law that manages human impacts on our planet. When a solution is put into place, there is often no way of telling if it is fixing the problem until years down the road.
Wicked Problems of Energy
Energy issues interconnect many stakeholders that want different outcomes. Fossil fuel companies, businesses, and people who rely heavily on fossil fuels do not want renewable energy to take over. They fear the collapse of the economy and corporations that depend upon the exploitation. On the other hand, environmentalists advocate for renewable energy because of the effect fossil fuels have on our environment and climate. Many scientists and environmental advocates use statistical and scientific data to prove we must attempt to compromise to save our planet.
Line 5
Tackling our Wicked Problem
Our group is concerned with the wicked problem of energy here in Michigan, specifically focusing on the oil pipeline, Line 5. We were inspired to cover this wicked problem after viewing Garth Lenz's TED Talk: The True Cost of Oil. In his talk, Lenz describes the destructive mining of tar sands oil in Alberta, Canada, run by Enbridge. We decided to just cover Line 5 because some of the tar sands oil produced in Canada is carried in this pipeline through our Great Lakes.
We found by talking with our peers that many students, especially non-environmental and sustainability students, had little to no knowledge about what Line 5 is and why it is a problematic issue. We have decided to host an event about Line 5 to educate students and bring more awareness about Line 5 into our community at Grand Valley.
Our team is accomplishing a presentation based on three main factors: background knowledge, legislation, and solutions. We will start off our presentation by talking about the horrors of the Kalamazoo oil spill, the largest inland oil spill in the country's history, and how the same company that allowed that to happen on Michigan land is in charge of the oil pipeline through our Great Lakes.
Line 5 Information
Line 5 was built in 1953 and was designed to last 50 years
Only 5-10% of the product that gets transported through the pipeline is used in Michigan
The pipeline has failed 33 times since being built and has leaked at least 1.1 million gallons of oil
Governor Whitmer ordered Line 5 to be shut down by May 2021, but Enbridge continues to illegally operate it
A spill from Line 5 could cause $6 billion in impacts and natural resource damages to Michigan's economy
The Great Lakes provide drinking water to 5 million Michiganders
Our artistic point in the presentation will be about relating how many barrels of oil were leaked during the Kalamazoo oil spill to see how much area would be covered at GVSU. This will allow our audience to understand better just how big this atrocity was, and how much oil can potentially spill into our Great Lakes if Line 5 is not stopped.
Educating our audience on Line 5 and the potential dangers it can cause would be next. Understanding exactly what Line 5 is, who owns it, why it is there, and what damage it could cause all play a role in understanding the wicked issue.
Continuing on, we will talk about the legislative portion of the pipeline. This will include what Michigan representatives are doing/not doing, treaties involved, and why legislation is not working. Our stakeholder, Governor Whitmer, provided us with information on what she is doing to get rid of line 5 that will be included in this portion. Lastly, we will talk about alternatives to the pipeline, points of activism for college students, and ways to get rid of the pipeline.
Concepts from our reading that came in handy were:
Working collaboratively to come up with the best way to display our wicked problem
Having different/competing values because the stakeholders involved in Line 5 have many different values that effect how they view the problem
Multiple stakeholders because of the many stakeholders that are involved in the issue of Line 5
One line that stuck to us is from Salwassar's article "Confronting the implications of wicked problems: changes needed in Sierra Nevada National Forest planning and problem solving" :"Collectively, the multiple stakeholders see “the problem” and objectives differently; in other words, they are not likely to agree on the definitive “problem” to be addressed. "
Some iterations that we took in this project were:
We could not get a hold of any stakeholders to come and present for us so we chose to create our own presentation
We also decided to make our presentation more about educating rather than showing how people can get involved
Our target audience for this presentation are college students at Grand Valley State University.
More stakeholders would have been beneficial with helping us decide the route we took for our project. It also would have been helpful to get a representative for an activist group against line 5 to share some of their opinions at the presentation.
Questions and Future Considerations
Are there any aspects of Line 5 that you would like to know that we did not mention we would describe in our presentation? Also, what are some ideas that you have to help get a stakeholder's attention?
