(The Center Square) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined the Line 5 tunnel project would have a “beneficial cumulative effect” on Michigan and its environment by reducing the risk of an oil leak.
This is according to a recently-released draft environmental impact statement, which examined the pipeline proposal for Line 5. The transmission line owned by Enbridge goes 645 miles from Superior, Wis., through the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario.
It moves more than 500,000 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids daily.
While the report found there might be some “direct, short-term, detrimental impacts” during construction on the local environment and recreation, most “environmental consequences would be short-term with the effects resolving once construction is completed.”
This would be a long-sought-after upgrade to the pipeline, which has been operated by the Canadian company for 72 years.
“This report by the Army Corps sends another clear message that the Line 5 tunnel project is the safest and most efficient way to supply fuel to Michigan and the broader Midwest,” said state Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan.
The proposed changes would move a section of the pipeline into a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, which is the 4-mile wide waterway connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, dividing Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The pipeline currently lies on the bottom of the Straits.
Policymakers, experts, and advocates have been split on the project, which is currently being expedited as a result of President Donald Trump’s Day 1 executive order declaring a national energy emergency.
Under that order, Trump said that to solve high prices and remedy the “numerous problems” with America’s energy infrastructure, the delivery of energy infrastructure must be “expedited” and the nation’s energy supply facilitated “to the fullest extent possible.”
Prior to that order, Democrats had slow-rolled the project for years. In a 2021 release, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, called for the complete closure of Line 5.
“So long as oil is flowing through the pipelines, there is a very real threat of a catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes,” Whitmer said. “I will continue to fight to get the pipelines out of the water.”
In addition to environmental concerns, opponents of the pipeline also cite concerns from tribal governments.
“It’s an existential threat to tribes,” said Matthew Fletcher, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. “This is a Canadian company that’s using America as its dirty transportation hub and we’re not getting anything out of it. If we’re interested in American energy independence, this does almost nothing to help us.”
The report did acknowledge the project could have “an adverse impact to cultural resources.”
Advocates for the tunnel say it will help prevent environmental damage, while addressing “critical energy needs.”
“The completion of the Line 5 Tunnel will not only protect the Great Lakes but also ensure the continued flow of essential energy resources to millions of people across the region,” said Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research. “For years, politicians have blocked efforts to relocate the pipeline . . . These delays directly contradict their stated environmental goals, as the proposed tunnel would significantly mitigate the risks that have been asserted about the pipeline.”
Tom Leonard, former Michigan speaker of the House and a Republican, called on Michigan to expedite the project.
“It’s time to stop the litigation and stonewalling,” Leonard said. “If we truly care about protecting our Great Lakes and providing the vital energy needs of Michigan’s citizens, the Line 5 tunnel is the commonsense solution.”
Earlier this year, Michigan House Republicans passed Resolution 91 in support of Trump’s policies to increase the nation’s energy infrastructure and security, “which have facilitated emergency permitting for the Enbridge Line 5 project.”
The findings in the final report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have a direct impact on the permitting for the tunnel, which requires a Water Resource Permit.
The pipeline currently supplies 55% of the propane used by more than 223,000 Michigan households, while contributing more than $20 billion to the regional economy.
Elyse Apel is a reporter for The Center Square covering Colorado and Michigan. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Elyse’s writing has been published in a wide variety of national publications from the Washington Examiner to The American Spectator and The Daily Wire.
