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DEQ issues permit for Enbridge Line 5 tunnel

Enbridge Energy

A tunnel for the Line 5 oil and gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac has its first permit. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued it to Enbridge Energy on Tuesday.

The permit would let Enbridge take soil and rock samples from the Straits. Company spokesperson Ryan Duffy says the samples will help them determine how to construct the tunnel.

Duffy says Enbridge will also need a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before they can begin collecting samples. They have not received that yet.

Meanwhile, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the legislation that approved the tunnel. Whitmer wants to know if it’s constitutional. A spokesperson for Nessel says the review should be done by early March.

Morgan Springer is a contributing editor and producer at Interlochen Public Radio. She previously worked for the New England News Collaborative as the host/producer of NEXT, the weekly show which aired on six public radio station in the region.