ST. IGNACE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Enbridge Energy Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac has cleared a key federal hurdle in its years-long permitting process.
Federal permit approval.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the green light to a federal permit that allows the Canadian-based energy company’s tunnel project to move forward. The permit approval gives Enbridge a significant win following a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling that vacated a key state permit for the project and sent the matter back for further consideration.
Enbridge officials told Michigan News Source that many people helped the project reach this milestone.
“The Corps’ review was comprehensive and grounded in extensive environmental analysis,” said Paul Meneghini, Enbridge community engagement manager in Michigan. “It was a methodical process that involved contribution from stakeholders, including Tribal communities across Michigan and the Great Lakes region.”
The Whitmer administration wants Line 5 gone.
The Whitmer administration and environmental groups have fought for years to shut down the existing Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac, citing concerns about the risk of an oil spill in the Great Lakes. The administration has developed plans for alternative propane supplies if Line 5 shuts down, although Enbridge and other Line 5 supporters have questioned whether alternatives could provide the same reliability and affordability.
Enbridge said it will invest approximately $500 million to build the tunnel, which would house a replacement segment of Line 5 and allow the existing 73-year-old twin pipelines in the Straits to be decommissioned. Line 5 transports about 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day.
The Army Corps said Enbridge’s tunnel project “complies with all applicable federal laws and regulations.”
A rushed process?
Proponents of the tunnel project say it will lessen or eliminate the risk of anchor strikes or similar damage to the underwater pipelines and reduce the risk of spills.
However, critics like David Holtz with “Oil and Water Don’t Mix” argued that the federal permitting process was rushed. Holtz called the Army Corps’ decision a “process driven by the Trump Administration’s phony ‘national energy emergency.’”
He added, “It puts Enbridge’s interests ahead of a full examination of the future of Line 5, the protection of the Great Lakes and the treaty rights of Tribal Nations whose homelands and sacred waters would bear the consequences.”
Enbridge officials have repeatedly maintained that the existing pipelines are safe and that the tunnel project would provide additional safety measures.
