Enbridge's Line 5 facility. Opponents of Enbridge’s Line 5 project say a delay in the project is positive and will allow more time for the project to meet environmental and legal concerns. (Source: Shutterstock.com)
Canada-based Enbridge is attempting to renew one of the three key environmental permits for its Line 5 tunnel project— an oil and NGL pipeline—as the battle to build the facility under the Straits of Mackinac wages on.
In 2021, Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE, granted Enbridge a permit for an underwater segment for the 645-mile pipeline. However, the midstream company is still waiting for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) to issue another permit necessary for construction to begin by 2026.
The delay will result in the EGLE permit expiring before Enbridge can start construction, requiring a renewal. Groups opposed to the project said they looked forward to another chance to bring their case before the state government.
Line 5 is a 30-inch-diameter crude oil and NGL pipeline with a capacity of 540,000 bbl/d. The line connects Ontario and Wisconsin and makes an underwater passage at the Straits of Mackinac, the narrow passage connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
The line opened in 1953. After a boat anchor damaged it in 2018, the company proposed to build an underground tunnel housing Line 5 along the same route to better protect and maintain the pipeline.
The project has become a political flashpoint. Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel both promised to close the line during their 2018 campaigns. Native American tribal and environmental groups have also filed suits against the line.
Enbridge said the company will continue to work towards permitting and ultimately building the tunnel while meeting environmental and legal concerns.
“Preparing to build a major, once-in-a-generation piece of infrastructure like the Great Lakes Tunnel takes intense study and thoughtful planning,” a company spokesman told Hart Energy. “In constructing the tunnel, Enbridge is working with state and federal agencies to study and develop plans that will minimize and mitigate impacts to the natural environment, natural resources, cultural heritage and community priorities.”
As part of the permitting renewal process, a pending lawsuit against the original permit was dropped.
The Bay Mills Indian Community, one of the organizations opposed to the project, agreed to a dismissal of the case against the permit so long as Enbridge agreed not to “act on, attempt to use, or otherwise engage with” the 2021 permit until it expired in 2026. Enbridge agreed to the stipulation, which was filed in the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules.
The Army Corps of Engineers was originally scheduled to make a determination on the permit in March 2023. The COE pushed the decision back three years to give the project a more thorough environmental review.
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