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LANSING — The Michigan Public Services Commission voted on Dec. 1 to approve a permit that would allow upgrades to Line 5. The vote paves the way for a portion of the oil pipeline to be relocated from the Straits of Mackinac lakebed to a tunnel beneath the lakebed.
Enbridge, based in Calgary, initially filed its application in April of 2020 for approval to replace that section of Line 5 by constructing a new tunnel beneath the lakebed. Line 5, built in 1953, is 645 miles of interstate pipeline from Wisconsin through Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas to Ontario. It moves roughly 540,000 barrels (or 22.7 million gallons) of light crude oil and natural gas liquids per day.
“The Commission’s order determined there is a public need for the replacement section of Line 5 and the products it carries, finding that without the pipeline’s operation, suppliers would need to use higher-risk and costlier alternative fuel supply sources and transportation,” read a statement posted to the MPSC website following its decision.
The site permit was passed on a 2-0 vote, with one recently-appointed commissioner abstaining. Commissioners Dan Scripps and Katherine Peretick, both appointees of Gov. Gretchen Whimer, voted to approve.
“This is the best and safest option for Yoopers,” said Congressman Greg Markkanen, who represents Iron County as part of Michigan’s 110th District. “There is no other realistic way to move natural gas without a pipeline. Trucking would be nearly impossible and would have a far greater negative impact. This is a common-sense solution that makes sense for everyone.”
A number of groups, including the Michigan Climate Action Network and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, spoke out against the decision, citing concerns over the environmental impacts of the tunnel and a need to move away from fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The section in question is roughly four miles long and consists of two 20-inch pipelines which lay primarily near or on top of the lakebed. Those pipelines would be replaced with a single, 30-inch pipeline in to-be-constructed concrete-lined tunnel, with an inside diameter of 21 feet and routed through bedrock 60-370 feet beneath the lakebed.
The project will require more governmental permits and approvals. Additional stipulations added by the MPSC included that no third-party utilities be co-located within the tunnel without prior approval. The Commission also directed Enbridge to “implement procedures for low-hydrogen welding for all mainline girth welds and to ensure that the procedures require both preheat and interpass temperature requirements. Enbridge must also ensure that the mainline girth welds are non-destructively tested using automatic phased array ultrasonic testing methods,” according to its statement.
Enbridge is still facing a federal lawsuit from Attorney General Debra Nessel’s office that could threaten the pipeline’s operations. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has argued that a 1977 treaty bars the Michigan state and U.S. federal governments from disrupting pipeline operations if it risks harming the energy supply in either country.