U.S. Army Corps moves to expedite Line 5 tunnel under Trump’s emergency order
The permitting process for the Line 5 tunnel project will be expedited, according to an announcement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, and reported by the Detroit Free Press.
The proposed tunnel for an oil and gas pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac has faced continued opposition from environmental groups. President Trump issued an order declaring an “energy emergency” in the early days of his second administration, calling on projects such as Line 5 to move forward at rapid pace.
Opponents of the project have called the proposed construction risky, and with an expedited timeline that bypasses safety and proper permitting protocol – reckless.
Canadian company Enbridge's Line 5 infrastructure moves 23 million gallons of oil and gas liquids per day east through the Upper Peninsula, splitting into twin underwater pipelines on the Straits of Mackinac bottom, before returning to a single transmission pipeline through the Lower Peninsula that runs south to Sarnia, Ontario. Aging pipes and loss of protective coatings have been among the growing concerns.
Enbridge proposes to build a 21-foot diameter, 3.6-mile tunnel underneath the bed of the Straits of Mackinac to house a new, 30-inch diameter pipeline to move the oil and natural gas liquids. The tunnel pipeline would replace the twin pipes currently on the Straits bottom, Army Corps officials said.
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