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Released September 04, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The determination of the fate of an oil pipeline straddling Michigan's two peninsulas evolved as the public comment period about a proposed tunnel for an Enbridge Incorporated (Calgary, Alberta) line concluded.
Line 5 is a section of a broader pipeline system stretching from Alberta through parts of the northern United States and into Ontario. Operated by Enbridge, the line stretches some 645 miles from northeast Wisconsin, through the Strait of Mackinac separating the two peninsulas and into Sarnia, Ontario.
Concerns over the integrity of the 70-year-old network prompted Enbridge to pursue a tunnel to house the section of the line running through the Strait of Mackinac. The pipeline was damaged in 2018 when a six-ton anchor hit the line and also severed three underwater power cables. No oil was released, though the incident caused a spill of around 800 gallons of mineral oil.
Dave Murk, a senior midstream director for the American Petroleum Institute, said the network is too important regionally to ignore.
"The reality is there are no viable alternatives to the Great Lakes tunnel to house a replacement section of Enbridge Line 5, and the tunnel will continue to help support the safe and reliable delivery of essential energy supplies to Michigan residents and the region," he said in a statement Friday.
Friday marked the end of the public comment period on the project proposal. Line 5 can carry as much as 540,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) of light crude oil and natural gas liquids, and is considered an essential fuels artery for Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) II.
Enbridge wants to build a 4-mile tunnel over the stretch of the pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Oil & Gas Pipelines Project Database can click here for the project report.
Public sentiment on Enbridge soured in 2010 after another section of the broader network, Line 6b, burst open in southern Michigan, leading to one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history. The 30,000-barrel release took five years to clean up.
In 2017, state regulators said they were concerned by gaps in the protective coating on parts of Line 5 in the strait, at least one of which was caused when Enbridge installed new supportive anchors.
President Donald Trump in one of his first acts of office declared a national energy emergency, stating that insufficient refining capacity, transportation and production posed an extraordinary threat to the nation's economy and security. In April, the Army Corps determined Line 5 fell under the order's guidelines, fast-tracking the approval process.
A federal appeals court earlier this year dismissed a lawsuit challenging the project by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). A formal decision could arrive yet this year.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Line 5 is a section of a broader pipeline system stretching from Alberta through parts of the northern United States and into Ontario. Operated by Enbridge, the line stretches some 645 miles from northeast Wisconsin, through the Strait of Mackinac separating the two peninsulas and into Sarnia, Ontario.
Concerns over the integrity of the 70-year-old network prompted Enbridge to pursue a tunnel to house the section of the line running through the Strait of Mackinac. The pipeline was damaged in 2018 when a six-ton anchor hit the line and also severed three underwater power cables. No oil was released, though the incident caused a spill of around 800 gallons of mineral oil.
Dave Murk, a senior midstream director for the American Petroleum Institute, said the network is too important regionally to ignore.
"The reality is there are no viable alternatives to the Great Lakes tunnel to house a replacement section of Enbridge Line 5, and the tunnel will continue to help support the safe and reliable delivery of essential energy supplies to Michigan residents and the region," he said in a statement Friday.
Friday marked the end of the public comment period on the project proposal. Line 5 can carry as much as 540,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) of light crude oil and natural gas liquids, and is considered an essential fuels artery for Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) II.
Enbridge wants to build a 4-mile tunnel over the stretch of the pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Oil & Gas Pipelines Project Database can click here for the project report.
Public sentiment on Enbridge soured in 2010 after another section of the broader network, Line 6b, burst open in southern Michigan, leading to one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history. The 30,000-barrel release took five years to clean up.
In 2017, state regulators said they were concerned by gaps in the protective coating on parts of Line 5 in the strait, at least one of which was caused when Enbridge installed new supportive anchors.
President Donald Trump in one of his first acts of office declared a national energy emergency, stating that insufficient refining capacity, transportation and production posed an extraordinary threat to the nation's economy and security. In April, the Army Corps determined Line 5 fell under the order's guidelines, fast-tracking the approval process.
A federal appeals court earlier this year dismissed a lawsuit challenging the project by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). A formal decision could arrive yet this year.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
