Enbridge is renewing its pursuit of a key permit needed to construct a controversial tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac to house its Line 5 pipeline. 

The decision comes after months of legal challenges from Michigan's Tribal Nations and environmental advocates.

The pipeline, which transports crude oil and natural gas through the straits connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, has been a concern for decades. The risk of a significant oil spill in the ecologically sensitive region has increased since the pipeline was damaged by an anchor strike in 2018.

Enbridge's proposed tunnel project, which aims to protect the pipeline from future accidents, has faced opposition from Tribal Nations and environmental groups who argue that it poses significant risks to the Great Lakes and their cultural resources.

The company's decision to renew the permit follows a legal challenge brought by the Bay Mills Indian Community, which argued that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) had failed to adequately consider the potential impacts of the project on wetlands and Tribal interests.

Enbridge still faces other regulatory hurdles in its quest to build the tunnel. 

The company must obtain permits from the Michigan Public Service Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected to issue a draft environmental impact statement for the project in spring 2025.

The company released the following statement: 
"Later this year, Enbridge intends to file an application to renew one of our key environmental permits from the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) for the Great Lakes Tunnel to ensure that all project permits are maintained and current.

Enbridge recognizes the importance of environmental protection to the resources and communities near the project area, and to all Michiganders. Over the last three years since the initial resource permit was granted by EGLE, our team has made steady progress in refining our project planning by regularly collecting site-specific environmental information which we will incorporate into our updated application. 

Enbridge’s commitment to safeguarding the Great Lakes, natural resources, and communities continues to drive our work behind building the Great Lakes Tunnel, and locating a new, replacement section of Line 5 pipeline inside the protection of the tunnel, deep under the lakebed."