Enbridge’s Line 5 improvement ran into protests after Native groups claimed that the project was likely to be fast-tracked for permitting by the Army Corps of Engineers. (Source: Shutterstock)
Enbridge’s Line 5 improvement ran into protests after Native groups claimed that the project was likely to be fast-tracked for permitting by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Permitting for the project has been in limbo for some time as the pipeline has faced opposition from environmental groups since it was proposed in 2018, up until recently with President Donald Trump taking office. One of the president’s first executive orders was to declare a national energy emergency, which allowed some projects to surpass steps in the permitting process.
In February, the Army COE included Line 5 on a list of projects to be considered for emergency permitting.
The most recent objection from indigenous groups came following a meeting between the tribal groups and the Army COE on March 20.
“Tribal Nations are no longer willing to expend their time and resources as cooperating Agencies just so their participation may be used by the corps to lend credibility to a flawed EIS (environmental impact statement) process and document,” the groups stated in a 12-page letter to the Army Corps of Engineers district office in Detroit.
At the meeting, representatives for the Corps indicated Line 5 would remain included with other projects slated for fast-tracked permitting.
“Indeed, at the Cooperating Agency meeting on March 20, 2025, it became evident that—in the near term—the Corps is likely to identify the applicant’s project as one subject to emergency treatment and issue the permit,” the tribes said in the statement.
The Corps is expected to make a final decision in the first week of April.
Line 5 is a 645-mile mixed-liquids pipeline that transports up to 540,000 bbl/d of crude and NGLs from Canada to the U.S. Midwest. The line crosses the Straits of Mackinac, the narrow passage between lakes Michigan and Huron. As installed, the line crosses the surface of the bottom of the lake.
Enbridge plans to build a tunnel under the straits to house the pipeline to improve safety and maintenance.
The project has also run into opposition from state officials in Wisconsin and Michigan. The Michigan attorney general has ordered the closure of the segment at the straits. The case was brought before a Michigan district court in January, but the judge did not give a timeline for his ruling.
RELATED
Michigan Appeals Court Allows Enbridge’s Line 5 Permits to Stand
Several other cases regarding the line’s operation are ongoing. Enbridge has maintained that the tunnel project is the safest and least invasive improvement for a key pipeline in the Canadian and U.S. midstream network.
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