CINCINNATI – Progress continues on a controversial plan to build a crude oil pipeline tunnel under the Mackinac Straits despite legal opposition from Native American tribes, environmental groups, and others.
The state group overseeing the proposed tunnel project met in Saint Ignace on Friday (June 14). The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) meeting was open to the public.
The controversial four-and-a-half mile tunnel will encase “Line 5,” a crude oil pipeline owned by Canadian company Enbridge, Inc.
Line 5 moves crude oil from western Canada through Wisconsin and Michigan on its way to eastern Canada.
At Friday’s meeting, the Authority introduced a newly hired project advisor.
Some audience members objected to the Authority’s choice of Craig Brownlee, an engineer from Oklahoma and Kansas.
One of the two Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority members, Kimberly Webb, asked Brownlee about his relevant background for the tunnel project.
“I have not worked with anybody in tunnels,” Browlee said. “But I have worked with pipelines that are hanging on racks in plant situations.”
Related: Michigan AG argues Line 5 case should be heard in state court
People in the audience objected to Brownlee’s hire.
“I would like to point out that he has zero experience with tunnel building,” said Matthew Bork. “There’s no tunnels in Oklahoma. There’s no tunnels in Kansas. This is the Great Lakes. We deserve an oversight, minimally, that had some experience with our areas. So that is definitely a very real concern.”
Some audience members went to the podium to support the tunnel project.
Scott Newman, President of the Village of Mackinac City, said, “From day one of this project, Enbridge has been totally forthcoming about everything.” Newman went on to say, “We wholeheartedly support Enbridge as a village.”
Enbridge will pay for the ambitious crude oil tunnel project, which involves boring through layers of bedrock and sediment under the Great Lakes.
The Canadian company has already selected builders for the project and is moving along with its plans, which still need the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval. The Army Corps’ final report isn’t expected until Spring 2026.
The Michigan Public Service Commission approved the tunnel project in December. A legal appeal of the MPSC decision is still pending.
The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority is a volunteer three-person panel created by then-governor Rick Snyder in 2018 to oversee the Enbridge tunnel project.
After one of its members left several months ago, MSCA has been doing business with just two members.
Local 4 reached out to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office for any new information about when she would be appointing a third person to the MSCA.
Whitmer’s office said there was nothing to share for now. The next MSCA meeting is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Click here to learn more about the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority.