Army Corps will fast-track Enbridge Line 5 tunnel project through Straits of Mackinac
The highly controversial Line 5 tunnel project through the Straits of Mackinac will be fast-tracked, likely bypassing a thorough environmental review, as a part of the Trump administration's stated goal to "unleash" American oil and gas.
The Line 5 pipeline, owned and operated by Canadian-headquartered Enbridge, runs through the Great Lakes, crossing 4.5 miles on the bottom of Lakes Michigan and Huron.
This means the permitting process with the federal agency will be expedited. The Army Corps originally posted a list of 600 projects to its website in February, which the agency took down from its website while it continued to vet the projects.
Last year, the Canadian oil giant chose Barnard Construction to build the Great Lakes tunnel for Line 5. The company is owned by Tim Barnard, who along with his wife, gave $1 million total to Trump's campaign during the election, according to records from the Federal Elections Commission.
"Building a tunnel under the Great Lakes to house an outdated and dangerous pipeline is risky. Expediting that process is reckless," said Beth Wallace, climate and energy director for the National Wildlife Federation, in a statement. "The permitting processes exists for a reason. We cannot afford to bypass safety in order to line the pockets of a foreign oil company."
Ahead of the Army Corps' decision, which has been looming for weeks, six Great Lakes tribes pulled out as cooperating agencies in the federal review process earlier this week. Tribal leaders argued the federal agency was not acting in good faith, and was undermining the federal government's responsibility to protect tribal treaty rights.
On March 31, the agency's Great Lakes and Ohio River Division announced that it's seven districts are authorized to use special emergency processing procedures, which the agency says it will publicly post. This included the Detroit district, which is overseeing the permitting process for the tunnel project.
The move to expedite the tunnel project as an emergency project will likely face legal challenges from environmental groups and Great Lakes tribes.
The company also needs state permits from Michigan's Public Service Commission and Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Enbridge has secured the permit from the public service commission, but must to redo the permitting process with the environment and energy agency given new information on nearby wetlands.
The permit from the state public service commission was challenged by tribes, but that challenge was struck down earlier this year. On April 2, tribes and environmental groups asked the state Supreme Court to consider overturning the lower court's decision.
The Line 5 pipeline runs 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, crossing Michigan's two peninsulas. It carries oil and gas products, which largely pass through the U.S. Some products, like propane, are used in Michigan.
Enbridge has proposed relocating the Line 5 pipeline into a concrete-lined tunnel, bored through the lakebed, which Canadian oil company has said will nearly eliminate the chance of a pipeline incident. Enbridge first proposed the tunnel project in 2018. The Army Corps' environmental impact statement was slated to be released in this spring, with construction beginning in 2026.
Line 5 opponents have long worried about the risks the aging pipeline poses. The pipeline, which was built in 1953, was built to last 50 years, and has leaked 35 times during its tenure. Environmentalists and Great Lakes tribes are especially worried about the risks through the Straits of Mackinac, which is considered the worst spot in the Great Lakes for an oil spill and culturally significant to Ojibwe tribes. Opponents have also raised concerns that nearby wetlands could be affected, and there is a risk of explosion within the tunnel due to the pipeline's contents.
Tribes and environmental groups worry what the emergency designation will mean for the review process. However, the Army Corps' website states that "even in an emergency situation, reasonable efforts will be made to receive comments from interested federal, state, and local agencies and the affected public."
More: Along Wisconsin's northern shores, Line 5 continues to pit tribal culture against Big Oil
More: As Lake Superior wetlands become more vulnerable, tribe fears cultural guideposts could slip away
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com, follow her on X @caitlooby and learn more about how she approaches her reporting.
Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort at jsonline.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Army Corps fast-tracks Enbridge Line 5 tunnel through Great Lakes
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