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The proposal to bury oil and natural gas liquid pipelines beneath the Straits of Mackinac has been a lightning rod for years. A virtual hearing on a state permit is set for Thursday.
But there are lots of moving parts: state permits, federal permits, legal challenges and more.
IPR's Vivian La listened in on a state meeting last week and is preparing for the EGLE hearing on Thursday. We thought it would be useful to walk through some of the details.
Permitting
- This Thursday, The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will hold a virtual public hearing on a pending pollutant discharge permit
- Awaiting a decision from EGLE for a wetlands permit
- Awaiting a decision from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a federal permit
Legal fights
- The existential question of whether Line 5 belongs in the Straits will be heard in state court, per a U.S. Supreme Court decision in April
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is appealing a U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that ruled for Enbridge on a matter of federal pipeline regulation
Stakes for Tribal Nations
- Tribes in Michigan are challenging a permit for the tunnel project from the Michigan Public Service Commission. A decision from the Michigan Supreme Court is expected this summer.
- Tribes in Wisconsin are challenging a project to reroute a segment of Line 5 that runs through Tribal land.
This post will be updated with more information.
Editor's note: Enbridge is a financial supporter of Interlochen Public Radio. We cover them as we would any other company and all editorial decisions are made independently by the IPR news staff.
Producer: Austin Rowlader
Editing: Steve Junker
Music: Blue Dot Sessions
