Canada has existing options if Line 5 shuts down, environmental report argues

Viable alternatives to Line 5 already exist if the controversial cross-border pipeline gets shut down, says a new report from an Canadian environmental group looking to bridge the ideological gulf in the public debate over North America's continuing dependence on fossil fuels.

The report, commissioned and released Wednesday by the Toronto-based group Environmental Defence, recommends upgrading Enbridge Inc.'s new Line 78 pipeline to handle the bulk of the energy Line 5 currently delivers to Ontario and Quebec, as well as several Midwestern states.

"I recognize the threat that Line 5 really does pose and I'm aware of all the factors at play that really do set us up for an ecological disaster in the making," said Michelle Woodhouse, the group's water program manager and one of the co-authors of the report.

But Woodhouse said it's equally clear that North America currently lacks the extensive infrastructure it would take in order to immediately end Canada's dependence on oil and gas and replace it with renewable energy sources.

"We don't have all of that set up to completely shut down every pipeline right now," but the report provides options that would allow Line 5 to be closed with minimal impact, she said.