Environmentalists appeal Michigan regulators’ approval of pipeline tunnel project
Associated Press
Environmentalists are challenging Michigan regulators’ approval of plans to encase a portion of an aging oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes. The Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Michigan Climate Action Network filed the appeal in a state appellate court Thursday. The groups argue the state Public Service Commission failed to properly consider alternatives to the tunnel that would minimize climate impacts. Enbridge Energy wants to encase a section of its Line 5 pipeline that crosses the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in a tunnel to mitigate effects of any spills. The Public Service Commission approved the $500 million plan in December.
