Army Corps to hear from public on Enbridge pipeline plan tunneling Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to hear from the public on Enbridge’s proposal to build an oil pipeline tunnel beneath Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac after determining the company submitted a complete application.

The Corps’ Detroit district office has scheduled a public comment period on the plan. It begins Friday and ends June 4.

The Canadian company wants to drill the tunnel through bedrock beneath the straits, which connect Lakes Huron and Michigan. The pipeline would replace two others that run across the bottom of the waterway and are part of Line 5, which carries oil between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.

Enbridge needs approval of the Army Corps and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, which last week described the application as incomplete and requested more information. Enbridge said it would comply.

The company, based in Calgary, Alberta, plans to begin construction next year and finish in 2024.

The plan has drawn support from business and labor groups, while environmentalists oppose the tunnel and want Line 5 shut down.