It looks as if the Eastern B*stards won’t be freezing in the dark anytime soon — although it could still happen — after Michigan approved an application by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. to keep its Line 5 mainline through the Great Lakes in operation.On Friday, regulators in the Wolverine State approved an application to build a 6.4-km tunnel between Lakes Huron and Michigan to house an aging section of the line that runs between the two..Construction on the USD$750 million project isn’t expected to start before 2026 and still requires approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers.Enbridge first proposed the tunnel in 2020 as a compromise solution for those, including Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who want the 70-year old line ripped out following a spill in the Kalamazoo River more than a decade ago.Not only would that put US oil supplies to Midwest consumers in states such as Ohio at risk, it would also potentially cut off Canadian barrels to refineries in southern Ontario. This, despite the fact there has never been a serious incident on that particular stretch of line since it came into service in 1953..The potential for southern Ontarians to literally freeze in the dark in turn prompted the federal government last year to invoke an obscure 1977 treaty to prevent a shutdown.However, the Michigan Public Service Commission agreed with the company that “there are no feasible and prudent alternatives to the replacement project pursuant to the Michigan Environmental Protection Act,” other than to allow the tunnelling to proceed.In its submissions, Enbridge argued the only other viable alternative would have been a drastic increase in truck traffic to haul more than 500,000 barrels of crude per day over the Straits of Makinaw.Company representatives and Canadian government officials were pleased with the ruling. .Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean sent out a big thumbs up on Twitter (“X”), “Good to see US decision makers get it right!”But US environmentalists were less sanguine, coming as it did during the COP28 climate confab in Dubai where countries, including the US and Canada are pledging to eliminate fossil fuels."We are extremely disappointed in the commission’s actions today as they ignored warnings from safety and energy experts that a tunnel would continue to leave the Great Lakes and our climate at risk," said Bentley Johnson, a representative with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
It looks as if the Eastern B*stards won’t be freezing in the dark anytime soon — although it could still happen — after Michigan approved an application by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. to keep its Line 5 mainline through the Great Lakes in operation.On Friday, regulators in the Wolverine State approved an application to build a 6.4-km tunnel between Lakes Huron and Michigan to house an aging section of the line that runs between the two..Construction on the USD$750 million project isn’t expected to start before 2026 and still requires approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers.Enbridge first proposed the tunnel in 2020 as a compromise solution for those, including Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who want the 70-year old line ripped out following a spill in the Kalamazoo River more than a decade ago.Not only would that put US oil supplies to Midwest consumers in states such as Ohio at risk, it would also potentially cut off Canadian barrels to refineries in southern Ontario. This, despite the fact there has never been a serious incident on that particular stretch of line since it came into service in 1953..The potential for southern Ontarians to literally freeze in the dark in turn prompted the federal government last year to invoke an obscure 1977 treaty to prevent a shutdown.However, the Michigan Public Service Commission agreed with the company that “there are no feasible and prudent alternatives to the replacement project pursuant to the Michigan Environmental Protection Act,” other than to allow the tunnelling to proceed.In its submissions, Enbridge argued the only other viable alternative would have been a drastic increase in truck traffic to haul more than 500,000 barrels of crude per day over the Straits of Makinaw.Company representatives and Canadian government officials were pleased with the ruling. .Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean sent out a big thumbs up on Twitter (“X”), “Good to see US decision makers get it right!”But US environmentalists were less sanguine, coming as it did during the COP28 climate confab in Dubai where countries, including the US and Canada are pledging to eliminate fossil fuels."We are extremely disappointed in the commission’s actions today as they ignored warnings from safety and energy experts that a tunnel would continue to leave the Great Lakes and our climate at risk," said Bentley Johnson, a representative with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
