The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to expedite permits for constructing a protective tunnel around an old Enbridge oil pipeline. This line runs under a waterway connecting two Great Lakes. This decision has stirred concerns among environmentalists who worry that the project might bypass thorough examination, harm an ecologically delicate area, and support continued fossil fuel dependency.
This development follows an executive order from President Donald Trump, issued in January, which claims that the U.S. is overly reliant on foreign energy sources. The order requests that federal agencies prioritize energy infrastructure projects for swift emergency permitting, involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Corps categorized the tunnel initiative on Line 5 as an emergency on Tuesday night under the order. Initially, officials were expected to make a permitting decision by early next year. The Corps shared limited information during a media call on Wednesday morning, providing no clear timeline on how promptly they may proceed. Shane McCoy, the Detroit District’s regulatory lead, explained that while the timeline will be streamlined, all steps will be adhered to, ensuring a sound and informed decision process.
Numerous groups criticized the hasty decision on Wednesday, including the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and the Great Lakes Business Network. The latter aims to safeguard the Great Lakes via sustainable business models. Mahyar Sorour, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy, argued that the real energy crisis stems from the Trump administration’s attempts to override environmental protections to accelerate harmful fossil fuel projects.
Ryan Duffy, a spokesperson for Enbridge, stated that Line 5 is “vital energy infrastructure” and the tunnel project aims to enhance the pipeline’s safety. Enbridge began applying for permits five years ago.
The pipeline starts in northern Wisconsin, passes through Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, and ends in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Operating since 1953, the pipeline carries crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia and transports 23 million gallons (87 million liters) daily, as per Enbridge. A segment of the pipeline lies under the Straits of Mackinac, a waterway linking Lake Michigan with Lake Huron.
Although company representatives assert the pipeline remains structurally intact, apprehension over the potential for a severe spill in the straits, which could pollute both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, has risen. This concern has been present since 2017 after revelations that Enbridge engineers were aware of gaps in the pipeline coating for three years. The fear intensified in 2018 following damage from a boat anchor. Enbridge entered into an agreement that year with Michigan’s then-Governor Rick Snyder’s administration to enclose the line in a protective tunnel.
Enbridge plans to replace the pipeline section beneath the straits and encase it in a newly drilled 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) tunnel under the lakebed, according to an Army Corps project summary. In 2018, the estimated cost for the project was about $500 million.
Environmental groups, tribal nations, and Democrats have spent five years pursuing lawsuits to remove the pipeline from the straits. In February, a Michigan appellate court confirmed state permits for the tunnel were appropriately issued. Separate lawsuits from Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, aiming to nullify the easement that allows the pipeline’s passage under the straits, remain pending in both state and federal courts.
Regardless of these legal challenges, Enbridge only needs clearance from the Army Corps and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to begin construction for the tunnel.
Seven Native American tribes, consulted by the Corps about the tunnel’s possible effects on their treaty rights, have ceased further discussions beyond historical property impacts due to the fast-tracking decision. Tribal leaders expressed in a March letter to the Corps that their analysis lacks consideration of spill risks and the project’s climate change impact.
Katie Otanez, regulatory project manager at the Corps’ Detroit District, indicated on Wednesday that consultation continues with 20 other tribes, though details were not expanded upon.
Separately, Enbridge is involved in legal disputes over Line 5 in Wisconsin. Approximately 12 miles (19 kilometers) of the line crosses the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The tribe sued Enbridge in 2019 to compel the removal of the line from their reservation, citing spill risks and expired easements dating back to 2013. In 2023, a federal judge granted Enbridge three years to relocate the pipeline.
Enbridge has suggested a 41-mile (66-kilometer) reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit to invalidate state construction permits for this proposal and has allied with multiple groups in contesting the permits through the Department of Natural Resources’ process in the state.