TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will conduct an extensive review of Enbridge Energy’s plan to build an oil pipeline tunnel beneath a Great Lakes waterway in Michigan.
The Canadian company wants the tunnel to house an underwater section of its Line 5 pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac linking Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Permits from several agencies including the Army Corps is needed.
The Corps says Wednesday the project will require an environmental impact statement, which involves a lengthy study of the plans and potential alternatives.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sought to shut down the Enbridge oil pipeline running under the Straits of Mackinac and stop the tunnel project. She issued an order for the company to stop using it in May, but Enbridge disregarded the order.
Whitmer and environmentalists are concerned about the potential for catastrophic pollution if the pipeline ruptures and spews oil into the Great Lakes.
Former Gov. Rick Snyder approved a deal shortly before he left office allowing Enbridge to bore a tunnel beneath the straits to carry tunnel mostly through bedrock. The company says any spilled oil would be contained in the tunnel and never reach the water if the pipeline ruptures.
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