‘Bad River’ documentary to show at Opera House on May 11

CHEBOYGAN — The Straits of Mackinac Alliance will present a free screening of the documentary "Bad River" at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 at the Cheboygan Opera House .

“Bad River” follows the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and its ongoing fight to shut down Line 5, which runs through its tribal land. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Enbridge is trespassing on land owned by the Bad River Band, but made no move to force the pipeline off the land.

More: DOJ weighs in on Line 5 trespass on tribal land in Wisconsin

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Built in 1953, Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 spans 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario. The line transports light crude oil and natural gas liquids. Four miles of the pipeline — consisting of two, 20-inch pipelines — crosses through the Straits of Mackinac.

Line 5's presence in the Straits of Mackinac has sparked serious concern from environmental groups and other advocates about the devastating risk of a rupture. On the other side, proponents of the pipeline point to the economic impact and need for fuel transportation.

The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dr. Ed Timm, Roger Gauthier, Andrea Pierce, who is a Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians member and chair of the Anishinaabek Caucus, and Jackie Berger.

While this is a free event, donations to the Straits of Mackinac Alliance to cover the costs of the film are encouraged.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: ‘Bad River’ documentary to show at Opera House on May 11