MICHIGAN — On Wednesday, Michigan agencies approved Enbridge's Line 5 Project, paving way for construction under the Straits of Mackinac. Officials concluded the project's benefits outweigh drawbacks, including disturbance to Native American burial sites and harm to wetlands and wildlife in the region.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Supreme Court rules legal fight over Enbridge's Line 5 to stay in state courts
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) have both issued permits allowing the Line 5 construction project to proceed, paving the way for the US Army Corps of Engineers to sign off on the project, which supporters and detractors both expect to happen soon.
Concerns for the risk of Enbridge's Line 5 rupturing have been growing since 2017, when Enbridge engineers announced having knowledge of gaps in Line 5's protective coating since 2014. A boat's anchor damaged a section along the Straits of Mackinac in 2018, intensifying fears of a spill.
Enbridge is seeking the permits in an attempt to encase the section of the pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac in a protective tunnel.
After 16 months of review, EGLE officials acknowledged the project's significant impacts, but approved it because of a need to eliminate the oil spill risk.
Despite Michigan's approval of the project, the debate is not over yet. Several indigenous communities, including the Bay Mills Indian Community, have promised new lawsuits related to Wednesday's decision. Other permits remain tied up in state and federal court.
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