The fate of the Line 5 pipeline is at another critical juncture in its 70-plus year history. The pipeline carries more than 500,000 barrels of petroleum products daily across the Great Lakes region from Wisconsin into Canada, taking a path that runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.
Over its lifetime, the pipeline has leaked more than 30 times and released more than 1 million gallons of oil. A 2016 University of Michigan study showed that more than 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline was at risk of being polluted should the pipeline fail in the straits.
Enbridge, the Canadian company that operates the pipeline, has proposed boring a tunnel under the straits to protect the pipeline and continue its operation. The Trump administration, after issuing an executive order that declared a national energy emergency, has instructed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fast-track its environmental impact evaluation of this proposal.
The Corps of Engineers expects to release its draft Environmental Impact Statement on May 30, potentially clearing the way for Enbridge to move forward, following a 30-day public comment period, but not without opposition.
The accelerated timeline does not provide adequate time for a legitimate environmental assessment and burying the pipeline, while reducing the risk that it will be hit with an anchor again introduces new concerns, experts say.
