Two sections of Enbridge Energy’s Line Five pipeline could be replaced soon pending federal approval. The Mackinac Straits tunnel project, which would place a section of the oil pipeline beneath the lake bed, is in the process of being reviewed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Enbridge Spokesperson Ryan Duffy tells WPHM there’s about 15 months to go in that process before work on the tunnel could begin.
“Our goal is to be ready to go to put shovels in the ground when the Army Corps finishes its work,” said Duffy. “We’re moving it forward, we’ve put a lot of work into trying to expedite this project, applying for these permits.”
The delay puts 2030 as a potential completion date for the tunnel. Duffy says Enbridge is also waiting on permits to go ahead with re-routing another section of Line Five around the Bad River Band Native American Reservation in Northern Wisconsin. The tribe contends that the line is at risk of being ruptured due to erosion and should be shut down. A federal judge meantime has ruled in favor of the pipeline. Line Five carries crude oil and some petroleum by-products between Superior, Wisconsin and Sarnia, Ontario.
