Great Lakes Tunnel project nears decision after final Army Corps review

(USACE Photo)

(The Center Square) – The Great Lakes Tunnel Project is one step closer to making its way out of regulatory limbo following the release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ final Environmental Impact Statement.

That report addressed the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and will be used by the Corps to help inform its official Record of Decision and federal permits. That decision will be announced at some point in the next month, following a 30-day period of public review.

This is just the latest chapter in an ongoing legal saga that has haunted the Great Lakes Tunnel Project for over half a decade – first starting in 2018.

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.

The transmission line is owned by Canadian company Enbridge and goes 645 miles from Superior, Wis., through the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario. The 72-year-old pipeline currently moves more than 500,000 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids daily.

Enbridge argues that the upgrades will make Line 5 more reliable, while protecting the integrity of the gas supply chain to Michigan.

The report considered many different aspects of the project, including geologic resources, water resources, biological resources, cultural resources, air quality, transportation, and more. In many of those categories, the report found “short-term, detrimental impacts” but “long-term, beneficial impacts.”

Ryan Duffy, a spokesperson for Enbridge, told TCS in a statement that this is real progress for the project.

“The release . . . is a true milestone and reflects nearly six years of rigorous review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Duffy said. “The Army Corps’ review has been thorough, transparent, and science driven. This final EIS incorporates extensive study and meaningful input from stakeholders across Michigan and the Great Lakes region. An EIS is the highest standard of federal environmental review and the Corps’ detailed work underscores their careful and methodical approach to minimizing environmental and community impacts, an objective we strongly support and share.”

Multiple Native American tribal nations and climate groups have been challenging the project for years, joining Democrats in calling for the complete closure of Line 5.

Earthjustice, the nation’s largest nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, and the Native American Rights Fund are currently representing those groups in court in a couple different lawsuits related to the Great Lakes Tunnel Project and Line 5. One of those lawsuits is in the U.S. Supreme Court, while the other is before the Michigan Supreme court.

In an exclusive interview with TCS, Senior Attorney for Earthjustice Julie Goodwin responded to Duffy’s statement.

“It's such a momentous decision,” she said. “The tunnel will be a nightmare for over six years—with increased traffic, increased air pollution, increased heavy equipment that will destroy views, displace wildlife, interrupt tourism dollars. All the things that Michiganders love about up north are at the crosshairs of this construction project.”

Policymakers, experts, and advocates have been split on the project, which is currently being expedited as a result of President Donald Trump’s day-one 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.”

Before that order, Democrats had slow-rolled the project for years. In a 2021 press 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.”

Duffy said Enbridge is aware of these concerns.

“Enbridge remains fully committed to protecting the Great Lakes, the region’s natural and cultural resources, and the communities along the waterfront. That commitment continues to guide our work to make an already safe pipeline even safer at the Straits of Mackinac,” Duffy said. “We look forward to the completion of this process, a permit decision from the USACE, and the opportunity to advance this critical infrastructure project.”

In addition to environmental concerns, opponents of the pipeline also cite concerns from tribal governments. Goodwin detailed those concerns and gave a reminder that the Environmental Impact Statement is far from the last step towards breaking ground on the project.

“The Corps’ Record of Decision will be released in March and, even then, Enbridge still needs Michigan’s approval,” she said. “That puts all eyes on Governor Whitmer and what kind of decision she will make.”

While Goodwin said she is unsure of what that decision will be, she is hopeful Whitmer and the other state departments involved in the decision and permitting will side against Enbridge.

“Gov. Whitmer has two choices: She can give to the Trump administration's agenda and their friends in the oil industry, or she can stand up for Michigan and protect the Great Lakes,” Goodwin said.

Michigan business leaders applauded the release of the EIS as another step towards approval.

“The progress being made by the Army Corps is exciting, and it’s going to mean a lot for energy affordability across Michigan,” said Brent Pilarski, business manager for the Michigan Laborers District Council. “Building the tunnel means jobs, great wages, and affordable energy. It’ll make a safe pipeline even safer, too. There aren’t many issues in Michigan with such overwhelming public support. Let’s get these permits and let’s get to work.”