U.S. Army Corps Grants Enbridge Permit for Great Lakes Tunnel Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit allowing Enbridge to construct a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac for its Line 5 pipeline.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Detroit District granted Enbridge a permit to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, linking Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The tunnel will house a four-mile portion of the Line 5 pipeline, which runs as two parallel pipes across the strait’s bottom. The Corps stated its environmental review complied with all applicable federal statutes.
Critics, including tribal nations and the nonprofit Earthjustice, argue the aging 1953 pipeline threatens a spill that could contaminate the Great Lakes and point to a recent Michigan Supreme Court directive for a new state analysis. Earthjustice highlighted that the permit depended on a state authorization from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration. The approval was praised by Army civil works officials as a step toward faster infrastructure delivery.
Why it matters
The tunnel could affect the safety of the Great Lakes and faces legal challenges from tribes and environmental groups.
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