Latest news with #Line5
2 days ago
- Business
Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts
Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts. The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting. A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026. With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though. Environmentalists have been pressuring the state to deny the permit. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are trying to win court rulings that would force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits for good. The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the straits, a key concern for environmentalists. But the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. Many of the impacts, such as noise, vistas marred by 400-foot (121-meter) cranes, construction lights degrading stargazing opportunities at Headlands International Dark Sky Park and vibrations that would disturb aquatic wildlife would end when the work is completed, the report found. Other impacts would last longer, including the loss of wetlands and vegetation on both sides of the strait that connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the loss of nearly 300 trees that the northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat use to roost. Grading and excavation also could disturb or destroy archaeological sites. The tunnel-boring machine could cause vibrations that could shift the area's geology. Soil in the construction area could become contaminated and nearly 200 truck trips daily during the six-year construction period would degrade area roads, the analysis found. Gas mixing with water seeping into the tunnel could result in an explosion, but the analysis notes that Enbridge plans to install fans to properly ventilate the tunnel during excavation. Enbridge has pledged to comply with all safety standards, replant vegetation where possible and contain erosion, the analysis noted. The company also has said it would try to limit the loudest work to daytime hours as much as possible, and offset harm to wetlands and protected species by buying credits through mitigation banks. That money can then be used to fund restoration in other areas. 'Our goal is to have the smallest possible environmental footprint,' Enbridge officials said in a statement. The Sierra Club issued a statement Friday saying the tunnel remains 'an existential threat.' 'Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes — our most valuable freshwater resource — skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits,' the group said. 'We can't drink oil. We can't fish or swim in oil.' Julie Goodwin, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law group that opposes the project, said the corps failed to consider the impacts of a spill that could still happen on either side of the straits or stopping the flow of oil through the Great Lakes. 'My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump's fossil fuel agenda," she said. Enbridge has been using the Line 5 pipeline to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953. Roughly 4 miles (6 kilometers) of the pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Concerns about the aging pipeline rupturing and causing a potentially disastrous spill in the straits have been building over the last decade. Those fears intensified in 2018 when an anchor damaged the line. Enbridge contends that the line remains structurally sound, but it struck a deal with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in 2018 that calls for the company to replace the straits portion of the line with a new section that would be encased in a protective underground tunnel. Environmentalists, Native American tribes and Democrats have been fighting in court for years to stop the tunnel and force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits. They've had little success so far. A Michigan appellate court in February validated the state Public Service Commission's permits for the tunnel. Nessel sued in 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Line 5 to run through the straits. That case is still pending. Whitmer revoked the easement in 2020, but Enbridge challenged that decision and a federal appellate court in April ruled that the case can proceed. About 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Line 5 runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation in northern Wisconsin. That tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it's prone to spilling and that easements allowing it to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. Enbridge has proposed a 41-mile (66-kilometer) reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and has joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state's contested case process.
Global News
3 days ago
- Business
- Global News
U.S. Army Corps analysis looks at Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel plan and potential environmental impacts
Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts. The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting. A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026. Story continues below advertisement With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though. Environmentalists have been pressuring the state to deny the permit. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are trying to win court rulings that would force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits for good. Construction could have major short-term, long-term impacts The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the straits, a key concern for environmentalists. But the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. View image in full screen In this photo shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020, shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Mich. CREDIT: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File Many of the impacts, such as noise, vistas marred by 121-metre cranes, construction lights degrading stargazing opportunities at Headlands International Dark Sky Park and vibrations that would disturb aquatic wildlife would end when the work is completed, the report found. Story continues below advertisement Other impacts would last longer, including the loss of wetlands and vegetation on both sides of the strait that connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the loss of nearly 300 trees that the northern long-eared bat and tricoloured bat use to roost. Grading and excavation also could disturb or destroy archaeological sites. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The tunnel-boring machine could cause vibrations that could shift the area's geology. Soil in the construction area could become contaminated and nearly 200 truck trips daily during the six-year construction period would degrade area roads, the analysis found. Gas mixing with water seeping into the tunnel could result in an explosion, but the analysis notes that Enbridge plans to install fans to properly ventilate the tunnel during excavation. Enbridge has pledged to comply with all safety standards, replant vegetation where possible and contain erosion, the analysis noted. The company also has said it would try to limit the loudest work to daytime hours as much as possible, and offset harm to wetlands and protected species by buying credits through mitigation banks. That money can then be used to fund restoration in other areas. 'Our goal is to have the smallest possible environmental footprint,' Enbridge officials said in a statement. The Sierra Club issued a statement Friday saying the tunnel remains 'an existential threat.' 'Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes — our most valuable freshwater resource — skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits,' the group said. Story continues below advertisement 'We can't drink oil. We can't fish or swim in oil.' Julie Goodwin, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law group that opposes the project, said the corps failed to consider the impacts of a spill that could still happen on either side of the straits or stopping the flow of oil through the Great Lakes. 'My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump's fossil fuel agenda,' she said. Tunnel would protect portion of Line 5 running through straits Enbridge has been using the Line 5 pipeline to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wis., and Sarnia, Ont., since 1953. Roughly six kilometres of the pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Story continues below advertisement Concerns about the aging pipeline rupturing and causing a potentially disastrous spill in the straits have been building over the last decade. Those fears intensified in 2018 when an anchor damaged the line. Enbridge contends that the line remains structurally sound, but it struck a deal with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in 2018 that calls for the company to replace the straits portion of the line with a new section that would be encased in a protective underground tunnel. Enbridge and environmentalists spar in court battles Environmentalists, Indigenous groups and Democrats have been fighting in court for years to stop the tunnel and force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits. They've had little success so far. A Michigan appellate court in February validated the state Public Service Commission's permits for the tunnel. Nessel sued in 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Line 5 to run through the straits. That case is still pending. Whitmer revoked the easement in 2020, but Enbridge challenged that decision and a federal appellate court in April ruled that the case can proceed. Another legal fight over Line 5 in Wisconsin About 19 kilometres of Line 5 runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation in northern Wisconsin. That tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it's prone to spilling and that easements allowing it to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. Story continues below advertisement Enbridge has proposed a 66-kilometre reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and has joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state's contested case process.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Army Corps of Engineers greenlights public comment period on Line 5 tunnel
The Mackinac Bridge in the Straits of Mackinac, May 27, 2024 | Susan J. Demas Enbridge Energy's controversial Line 5 tunnel project will move forward to a 30-day public comment period after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday released a draft environmental impact statement, which did not clear the project of all and potentially significant environmental concerns raised by activists and lawmakers opposed to the pipeline and its proposed tunnel. The proposed plan is to construct a 3.6 mile tunnel under the lakebed of the Straits of Mackinac that would house a replacement segment of Line 5. The pipeline consists of two 20-inch diameter pipes that are buried in sediment near the shore and rest on, or are anchored to, the lakebed of the Stratis, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. Enbridge's aim is to have that tunnel approved for permitting by the federal government through the Army Corp's review process. It is their preferred alternative to no action from the Corps, which the company has said could result in less environmental security and certainty. Other alternatives include bolstering the tunnel with protective materials or the decommissioning of the pipeline altogether, which is what Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel set out to do shortly after they entered office in 2018. Enbridge called the release of the impact statement and opening the public comment period a significant milestone for the project. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'It is the result of more than five years of rigorous and comprehensive permit review and stakeholder engagement including input from Tribes and is a critical step forward in planning a project that will modernize energy infrastructure, protect the Great Lakes, and ensure long-term energy reliability for Michigan and the broader region,' said Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy. 'We appreciate the extensive technical work that went into this document and the opportunity to contribute detailed responses to numerous data and information requests – demonstrating our commitment to transparency and environmental, social and cultural responsibility.' Duffy added that it was Enbridge's goal for the proposed tunnel and the existing line to have 'the smallest possible environmental footprint.' 'The tunnel design already reflects that intent, and we will use the USACE's findings from the [impact statement] to further refine the project,' he said. Some activists who have fought against the continued operation of the line said this week that more work was needed to prevent the project from moving forward, while others said were disappointed in the state's efforts to shut down Line 5. Andrea Pierce, founder of the Michigan Anishinaabek caucus and policy director at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, said Michigan needed to have good, clean, safe water for them to drink, to fish, to hunt, to gather. Those were also the hallmarks of the treaty rights granted to Tribes in Michigan. Pierce was critical of Whitmer's actions thus far. 'Governor Whitmer has done some things. She has [attempted to] shut them down. She revoked their easement. But that's it,' Pierce said. 'What else is being done? It's operating illegally. That pipeline for years now [has been] operating illegally. They're still making a profit off of us, off of Michigan citizens. They are making a profit, these Canadian companies, that needs to stop.' Enbridge initially filed to apply for permits to build the tunnel in April 2020. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on the draft economic statement since then. In April, the Corps said its evaluation would move forward on a shortened timeline following an executive order from President Donald Trump. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirms Line 5 tunnel review to move forward under shortened timeline Meanwhile, the existence of Line 5 and its continued operation has been fought out in a winding legal battle that remains active even as the project hit a milestone of forward progress on Friday. Public comment on the project will end on June 30. Virtual public meetings are scheduled for June 18 and June 25, and comments will be collected online or through written submissions, which can be mailed to 6501 Shady Grove Road, P.O. Box 10178, Gaithersburg, MD 20898. The impact statement released Friday factored in many rounds of previous public comment and input from Tribal organizations, as well as analysis of the project plans and potential alternatives. The upshot: Enbridge's tunnel project could have numerous consequences for land ownership and land use, land and water-based recreation, water resources, area aesthetics and air quality, as well as biological, cultural and soil resources. As to the cultural resources affected, construction and operation of the tunnel would have adverse effects on archaeological sites and an existing archaeological district. Each of the activities associated with construction were listed as events that would destroy archaeological resources within the project footprint. Impacts to Tribal treaty rights were not noted in the report, but the Corps said those issues would be determined in its decision materials following the new round of public comment. A change of land ownership might be necessary at certain laydown areas as Enbridge would have to purchase land within the sites or acquire temporary or permanent easements. Direct, long-term and permanent detrimental impacts were associated with the project, the Corps said, as it related to undeveloped forest land that would need to be transformed into industrial sites, permanently altering the geology along the proposed tunnel site. Direct and detrimental effects to nearby recreational sites were noted due to the noise and aesthetic impacts of construction. Those impacts would likely end when construction was completed, however. Groundwater could be affected, but aquifer testing along the tunnel alignment site showed the surrounding aquifer would recover in a matter of days following construction. There is, however, concern for the potential release of drilling fluids and other contaminants associated with onshore material storage and the use of heavy equipment. That said, the Corps noted that those impacts would also end once construction ceased – but with a heavy caveat that the construction contractor would have to adhere to a spill plan and monitor onsite and nearby well water for up to two years following completion. To that end, surface water could be greatly affected by the project, as it would disturb the Straits during the installation of a water intake pipe. Approximately 20,000 gallons of drilling fluid – consisting of water and bentonite – would be released. The features would be removed following construction. The turbidity and sedimentation in the area would be affected on a limited basis in the work area, but direct and detrimental impacts were noted to surface water adjacent to the construction site due to erosion and sedimentation. An adherence to mitigation measures as a part of any approved permits would alleviate some of those concerns, and any long-term increases in stormwater would be managed by a permanent stormwater system. Again, the Corps noted detrimental impacts associated with the unintended release of contaminants like equipment fuel. Vegetation and wildlife disturbances in the area were also listed as factors, the latter of which would come from blasting activities during site preparation and the presence of workers in wildlife areas. The loss of approximately eight acres of habitat for protected species was noted, which would require ongoing coordination with the federal government and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Air quality would also be disturbed during construction, and proposed ventilation fans would add to noise nuisance, but only on an intermittent basis. The possibility of harmful emissions were noted to be significantly higher with Enbridge's proposed version of the tunnel project compared to an alternative that includes a gravel and protective rock cover. The reliability of the tunnel and its safety assurances were also analyzed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but the report noted that the possibility of a catastrophic anchor strike, which could potentially release oil into the Great Lakes, would be eliminated with the presence of a tunnel. Decommissioning the line also carried some potential localized and short-term consequences, the Army Corps said. Reactions to the project's forward progress were mixed, at best. Great Lakes Michigan Jobs – a business coalition composed of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Grand Rapids Chamber, economic development organization InvestUP and the Upper Peninsula Construction Council – said in a joint statement issued Friday that they were ready to support the tunnel project as the public comment period commenced. The group also said that it was time to grant the project its permits to build the tunnel. 'Line 5 is an important piece of energy infrastructure for the continent, providing Michiganders with critical light crude and propane extracted from Canada,' Brian Shoaf, vice president of Public Policy and Business Advocacy with the Detroit Regional Chamber, said in a statement. Josh Lunger, vice president of government affairs with the Grand Rapids Chamber, said the tunnel wasn't just an energy project, it was a strategic infrastructure investment. 'Across the entire state, we count on Line 5. It powers our businesses, our job sites, and even our homes,' Lunger said in a statement. 'The Army Corps has been reviewing permit applications for more than five years. It's time to grant the permits.' Those who have been opposed to the project have said for years that the pipeline is a danger to the Great Lakes and the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel project, in their view, would not alleviate the environmental concerns, but only stands to exacerbate them. As lawmakers and business leaders met for the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference this week on Mackinac Island, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who gave a speech to the conference Thursday night, so too did activists gather to express concerns over Line 5. Ahead of the governor's annual speech, protesters marched through downtown Mackinac Island, where they planned to rally outside the Grand Hotel for a press conference denouncing the tunnel project. The protesters, however, were turned away at the bottom of the hill approaching the hotel by a person who said he was there on behalf of the hotel. The man informed the protesters that the sidewalks and roads leading to the hill were private property owned by the Grand Hotel. That did not deter the protesters from being heard, even as they were diverted away from the hotel. 'Governor Whitmer has stood up for the Great Lakes and all of us before, by revoking Line 5's illegal easement, but her work isn't done,' said Beth Wallace, the Great Lakes climate and energy director at the National Wildlife Federation. 'Now, Enbridge wants to blast and drill through the Great Lakes for years just to extend [the] life of a pipeline that will soon reach 80 years old and has already spilled at least 35 times. Meanwhile, the Great Lakes business network and regional experts confirm the project is absolutely not needed,' Wallace added that decommissioning Line 5 was 'the only honorable path forward, and means we're honoring treaties and public trust, supporting domestic energy supplies and alternatives, creating more jobs in decommissioning, avoiding noticeable price increases, and it's important to notice we are paying for the tunnel.' 'Those price increases are going to happen in the rates that Enbridge is already setting,' Wallace said. 'The proposed tunnel isn't about safety or providing our communities with energy, it's about Enbridge's profits.' Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson contributed to this report. This story was updated to reflect that the correct name is the Michigan Anishinaabek caucus.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts
Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts. The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting. A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026. With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though. Environmentalists have been pressuring the state to deny the permit. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are trying to win court rulings that would force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits for good. Construction could have major short-term, long-term impacts The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the straits, a key concern for environmentalists. But the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. Many of the impacts, such as noise, vistas marred by 400-foot (121-meter) cranes, construction lights degrading stargazing opportunities at Headlands International Dark Sky Park and vibrations that would disturb aquatic wildlife would end when the work is completed, the report found. Other impacts would last longer, including the loss of wetlands and vegetation on both sides of the strait that connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the loss of nearly 300 trees that the northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat use to roost. Grading and excavation also could disturb or destroy archaeological sites. The tunnel-boring machine could cause vibrations that could shift the area's geology. Soil in the construction area could become contaminated and nearly 200 truck trips daily during the six-year construction period would degrade area roads, the analysis found. Gas mixing with water seeping into the tunnel could result in an explosion, but the analysis notes that Enbridge plans to install fans to properly ventilate the tunnel during excavation. Enbridge has pledged to comply with all safety standards, replant vegetation where possible and contain erosion, the analysis noted. The company also has said it would try to limit the loudest work to daytime hours as much as possible, and offset harm to wetlands and protected species by buying credits through mitigation banks. That money can then be used to fund restoration in other areas. "Our goal is to have the smallest possible environmental footprint," Enbridge officials said in a statement. The Sierra Club issued a statement Friday saying the tunnel remains "an existential threat." "Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes — our most valuable freshwater resource — skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits," the group said. "We can't drink oil. We can't fish or swim in oil." Julie Goodwin, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law group that opposes the project, said the corps failed to consider the impacts of a spill that could still happen on either side of the straits or stopping the flow of oil through the Great Lakes. "My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump's fossil fuel agenda," she said. Tunnel would protect portion of Line 5 running through straits Enbridge has been using the Line 5 pipeline to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953. Roughly 4 miles (6 kilometers) of the pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Concerns about the aging pipeline rupturing and causing a potentially disastrous spill in the straits have been building over the last decade. Those fears intensified in 2018 when an anchor damaged the line. Enbridge contends that the line remains structurally sound, but it struck a deal with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in 2018 that calls for the company to replace the straits portion of the line with a new section that would be encased in a protective underground tunnel. Enbridge and environmentalists spar in court battles Environmentalists, Native American tribes and Democrats have been fighting in court for years to stop the tunnel and force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits. They've had little success so far. A Michigan appellate court in February validated the state Public Service Commission's permits for the tunnel. Nessel sued in 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Line 5 to run through the straits. That case is still pending. Whitmer revoked the easement in 2020, but Enbridge challenged that decision and a federal appellate court in April ruled that the case can proceed. Another legal fight over Line 5 in Wisconsin About 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Line 5 runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation in northern Wisconsin. That tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it's prone to spilling and that easements allowing it to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. Enbridge has proposed a 41-mile (66-kilometer) reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and has joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state's contested case process. Please note: The above video is from a previous, related report
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts
Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts. The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting. A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026. With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though. Environmentalists have been pressuring the state to deny the permit. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are trying to win court rulings that would force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits for good. Construction could have major short-term, long-term impacts The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the straits, a key concern for environmentalists. But the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. Many of the impacts, such as noise, vistas marred by 400-foot (121-meter) cranes, construction lights degrading stargazing opportunities at Headlands International Dark Sky Park and vibrations that would disturb aquatic wildlife would end when the work is completed, the report found. Other impacts would last longer, including the loss of wetlands and vegetation on both sides of the strait that connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the loss of nearly 300 trees that the northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat use to roost. Grading and excavation also could disturb or destroy archaeological sites. The tunnel-boring machine could cause vibrations that could shift the area's geology. Soil in the construction area could become contaminated and nearly 200 truck trips daily during the six-year construction period would degrade area roads, the analysis found. Gas mixing with water seeping into the tunnel could result in an explosion, but the analysis notes that Enbridge plans to install fans to properly ventilate the tunnel during excavation. 'Our goal is to have the smallest possible environmental footprint,' Enbridge officials said in a statement. The Sierra Club issued a statement Friday saying the tunnel remains 'an existential threat.' 'Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes — our most valuable freshwater resource — skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits,' the group said. 'We can't drink oil. We can't fish or swim in oil.' Julie Goodwin, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law group that opposes the project, said the corps failed to consider the impacts of a spill that could still happen on either side of the straits or stopping the flow of oil through the Great Lakes. 'My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump's fossil fuel agenda," she said. Tunnel would protect portion of Line 5 running through straits Enbridge has been using the Line 5 pipeline to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953. Roughly 4 miles (6 kilometers) of the pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Concerns about the aging pipeline rupturing and causing a potentially disastrous spill in the straits have been building over the last decade. Those fears intensified in 2018 when an anchor damaged the line. Enbridge contends that the line remains structurally sound, but it struck a deal with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in 2018 that calls for the company to replace the straits portion of the line with a new section that would be encased in a protective underground tunnel. Enbridge and environmentalists spar in court battles Environmentalists, Native American tribes and Democrats have been fighting in court for years to stop the tunnel and force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits. They've had little success so far. A Michigan appellate court in February validated the state Public Service Commission's permits for the tunnel. Nessel sued in 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Line 5 to run through the straits. That case is still pending. Whitmer revoked the easement in 2020, but Enbridge challenged that decision and a federal appellate court in April ruled that the case can proceed. Another legal fight over Line 5 in Wisconsin About 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Line 5 runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation in northern Wisconsin. That tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it's prone to spilling and that easements allowing it to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. Enbridge has proposed a 41-mile (66-kilometer) reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and has joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state's contested case process.
