What is the project about?

The Line 5 Tunnel Project is Enbridge’s plan to build a four-mile, concrete-lined tunnel deep beneath the Straits of Mackinac and relocate the dual Line 5 pipelines into it. The tunnel would serve as secondary containment, housing a new section of pipeline safely below the lakebed rather than exposed on the bottom of the Straits.

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Enbridge says the project would sharply reduce the risk of an anchor strike or spill in one of the most environmentally sensitive waterways in North America, while ensuring continued delivery of propane and fuel to Michigan and the Upper Midwest. Critics argue the tunnel would extend the life of aging fossil-fuel infrastructure which they oppose, but the company and its supporters say it is the safest long-term solution for keeping energy flowing through the region.

Update on the status of the project.

During an interview on The Steve Gruber Show on November 24, Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy confirmed that the latest challenge involves groups appealing the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) 2023 approval of the tunnel.

The Michigan Court of Appeals already upheld the MPSC’s decision in 2024, finding the approval lawful and well-supported. But opponents have now appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, filing new briefs and once again extending the timeline.

Duffy emphasized that all issues in question have already been “well reviewed, well studied,” noting the MPSC’s process alone took more than three years.

While the legal gears grind, the existing Line 5 pipelines continue operating on the lakebed as they have for decades – something Duffy said opponents are effectively prolonging. “All of these delays just maintain the status quo,” he noted, calling the tunnel “the solution for the future” to make an already safe pipeline even safer.

Army Corps timeline: a new update.

Alongside the state-level fight, the project is also awaiting a crucial federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Duffy told Gruber the Army Corps is targeting spring 2026 for its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and permit ruling – moving the project one step closer to construction. The draft EIS, released earlier this year, reflects more than five years of study and extensive public input.

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With the Army Corps permit still pending, the project is now brushing up against what Enbridge considers its final major hurdle before construction. For now, the project sits in limbo – waiting on decisions that could finally shift Line 5 from years of debate to the first stages of construction.