Michigan environmental regulators announced Wednesday, July 15, that they approved a required permit for Canadian oil transport giant Enbridge’s Great Lakes Tunnel Project — a move immediately panned by environmental groups and regional Native American tribes.
At a cost of $800 million, Enbridge proposes to construct a concrete-lined tunnel up to 250 feet below the lake bed in the Straits of Mackinac, where the Great Lakes Michigan and Huron connect. The tunnel would house a new pipeline for transporting oil and natural gas liquids, replacing the 73-year-old Line 5 twin pipelines operating on the Straits lake bottom. Proponents of the tunnel project say it will lessen or eliminate risks of anchor strikes or similar damages to the underwater pipelines, and reduce the risk of spills.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy approved a so-called Part 303 and Part 324 permit for Enbridge for the proposed tunnel project in 2021. The name refers to the relevant sections in state environmental law, pertaining to wetlands protections and Great Lakes submerged lands.
Because construction on the tunnel has not yet begun, that permit expired this year. Many residents, environmental groups and Native American tribes urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration to use the opportunity to oppose the tunnel plan.
But EGLE officials announced Wednesday that the permit was renewed “following a robust 16-month review period” that included a public information session, public hearing, and consideration of 70,000 public comments.
The nonprofit environmental organization Michigan League of Conservation Voters had pointed criticism for Whitmer and her administration following the announcement.
“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had the opportunity to put the health and safety of our Great Lakes first, but instead, backtracked on a promise she made to Michiganders and instead approved a dangerous project that threatens the drinking water for millions of people and our state’s No. 1 economic driver,” said Lisa Wozniak, president and CEO of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
“Rather than doing everything she can to safeguard the Great Lakes, Gov. Whitmer is enabling a Canadian oil company to saddle Michigan taxpayers with billions of dollars in financial liability if something goes wrong. We condemn this action as a betrayal of the promise Gov. Whitmer made as a candidate to shut down Line 5.”
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians also expressed concerns with the permit approval.
“Today’s decision by the state of Michigan is incredibly disheartening and fails tribal communities and all those that value our Great Lakes,” Sault Tribe Chairman Austin Lowes stated.
“Since time immemorial, the Straits of Mackinac have been sacred to tribal nations across the region. The Sault Tribe, along with our partners, is deeply disappointed by EGLE and DNR’s decisions to approve permits for Enbridge. The Straits, and all the Great Lakes, deserve the highest level of protection from the state of Michigan. The decision to allow Enbridge to industrialize this sacred place demonstrates a disregard for our environment, our treaty rights, and tribal sovereignty.”
Line 5 moves 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids per day through the Upper Peninsula, splitting into twin, underwater pipelines through the 4-mile stretch of the Straits, before returning to a single transmission pipeline through the Lower Peninsula and on to a hub in Sarnia, Ontario.
Concerned citizens and environmentalists have called for the decommissioning of the line, stating a spill along the 73-year-old pipeline like the one on Enbridge’s Line 6B pipeline near the Kalamazoo River in 2010 would devastate the Great Lakes, shoreline and island communities, as well as the state’s economy. The pipeline over the years has been discovered in inspections to be missing protective coating and required supports holding the line in place on the lake bottom. The pipes have also been damaged in multiple anchor strikes.
Enbridge officials, however, claim the pipelines remain safe and that the tunnel project will only enhance safety.
“Enbridge continues to safely and reliably operate Line 5 under rigorous federal safety standards, supported by additional safeguards such as the Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center, which provides 24/7/365 monitoring of commercial vessel traffic in the Straits of Mackinac to help protect the pipeline until the tunnel is completed,” company spokesman Ryan Duffy said.
Duffy called the state’s permit renewal “an important step forward for a project designed to further protect the Great Lakes while helping ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy that supports Michigan and the region.”
As a condition of the permit, Enbridge will be required to submit an improved wetland mitigation plan to address wetland impacts. The permit also includes new conditions designed to mitigate impacts to cultural resources in the area.
Enbridge’s Great Lakes Tunnel Project still requires a key federal construction permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and is awaiting final approval from Michigan EGLE on a wastewater discharge permit.
Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: State renews permit for Enbridge oil pipeline tunnel under Straits of Mackinac
Reporting by Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
