Line 5 Pipeline in Michigan on Army Corps List
LANSING, MI--Citizens groups are raising serious concerns about the potential fast-tracking of permits for the controversial Line 5 oil tunnel beneath the Great Lakes, following its inclusion in projects that may be expedited under a recent Energy Emergency Executive Order by President Trump.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has until February 20 to designate "emergency" projects for expedited processing – a move that could severely limit public input and environmental review for this high-stakes proposed infrastructure project by Enbridge, the Canadian oil transport giant. The proposed Line 5 tunnel project is currently listed as being considered for an emergency permit on the USACE website, which would potentially derail the full environmental review currently underway. The proposed underwater tunnel would house Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil through some of North America's most environmentally sensitive waterways.
"Rushing the approval process for an oil tunnel beneath the Great Lakes is the opposite of emergency action – it's reckless endangerment," said Sean McBrearty, coordinator for the Oil & Water Don’t Mix coalition and Clean Water Action Michigan State Director. "The Great Lakes provide drinking water for millions of people and support a multi-billion dollar tourism and fishing economy. Ensuring that the Great Lakes continue to be a shortcut for Enbridge to move Canadian oil that we don’t need is not an emergency. This is precisely the kind of project that demands careful scrutiny and robust public participation, not a rubber stamp."
Under the Trump Energy Emergency Executive Order, USACE is directed to use emergency procedures "to the fullest extent practicable." While these procedures typically address immediate threats to life, property, or significant economic hardship, their application to a long-term infrastructure project raises serious concerns about transparency and environmental protection.
"The public has a right to weigh in on projects that could impact their water, their livelihoods, and their communities for generations to come," said McBrearty. "We're putting the Army Corps on notice – we're watching this process closely and will fight any attempt to bypass essential environmental reviews or silence public voices.'
Many Great Lakes residents would question why the most dangerous construction project ever proposed for the Great Lakes would not get the time and study it needs,” said McBrearty. “By the stroke of a pen, the President could seek to short-circuit the legally required study of a four-mile tunnel through unknown sediment under the Straits of Mackinac."
“Fast-tracking the Line 5 tunnel is a dangerous gamble with the Great Lakes, our nation’s most vital freshwater resource,” said Ashley Rudzinski, Climate & Environment Program Director for Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. “The immense risk of an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac is too great to be fast-tracked without the strongest possible scrutiny. We will not stand by while this process moves forward unchecked— there will be immediate action across the Great Lakes to ensure every legal and environmental safeguard is enforced.”
Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council believes the Great Lakes Line 5 tunnel requires in-depth Army Corps scrutiny because it endangers 20% of the Earth’s fresh surface water in its Mackinac Straits location,” said Barb Stamaris, spokesperson for the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council.
Oil & Water Don’t Mix calls on USACE to:
Maintain full environmental review processes for the Line 5 tunnel project
Ensure meaningful public participation opportunities
Reject any attempt to classify this project as an emergency requiring expedited review
Links
Army Corps of Engineers permit database shows that executive order is being used to ask for “emergency” permit approvals, including for the Enbridge 5 tunnel pipeline. Go to the top tab that says “all content” and select “emergency.”
