The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced April 15 that the agency will fast-track the review process for the Line 5 Great Lakes Tunnel Project. This project — led by the Canadian pipeline and energy company Enbridge — will replace nearly four miles of the current oil and gas pipeline with a protective tunnel, according to the announcement.
Beginning in Superior, Wis., and ending in Canada, Line 5 transports nearly 23 million gallons of light crude oil and natural gas liquids per day.
The decision to fast-track the project follows President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency in January. The declaration has directed federal agencies to expedite energy projects, claiming that previous energy production was inadequate for the country’s needs.
Following this order, six Tribal Nations withdrew from federal discussions regarding the project. In their letter, they claim the USACE has aligned itself with Enbridge and failed to uphold its commitment to Tribal treaty rights.
Leah Horowitz, an associate professor of American Indian and Indigenous studies at the University of Wisconsin, said there is a severe lack of trust between Indigenous communities and the government, citing a history of broken treaty agreements.
“They will take into consideration the voices of indigenous communities that support their agenda, they will not take into account the voices of indigenous communities that are against their agenda,” Horowitz said.
The project will replace the stretch of Line 5 located underneath the Straits of Mackinac that may be vulnerable to leaks. While Enbridge states the line is safe, many activist groups argue that leaks threaten the environment.
According to the Sierra Club, Line 5 has leaked more than 1.1 million gallons of oil over the past five decades. Campaign Coordinator for the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter, Jadine Sonoda, said the USACE’s announcement works against the public’s interests.
“I think President Trump’s actions and words have really made it clear that he is not putting our health and safety and well-being first,” Sonoda said. “So, the executive order of an energy emergency is, kind of, shocking to see, knowing that we’re in this climate crisis and the energy emergency that’s really happening is that we’re not moving away from fossil fuels.”
In response to the announcement, Oil and Water Don’t Mix, a partner organization of the Sierra Club, urged citizens to call government officials, citing the need to protect the Great Lakes.
Horowitz said investments which have been going toward fossil fuels, should be redirected to subsidize renewable energy sources.
“We know that we have to get off fossil fuels, so just building on more pipeline infrastructure is not the answer, plain and simple,” Horowitz said.
Sonoda added that water currents present in the Straits of Mackinac could hinder any lake clean-up efforts if a spill were to occur.
Further, a video simulation produced by University of Michigan researchers and the National Wildlife Foundation predicted that a spill beneath this area could contaminate water and hurt fish populations as far as Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.
In 2018, former Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder came to an agreement with Enbridge about the construction of the tunnel project, according to the Enbridge website. The agreement would not last, though, as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sued Enbridge to shut down Line 5 a year later.
As of February of this year, the permits for the project were upheld by a Michigan appeals court. Following this, Enbridge reapplied for permits, according to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
For Wisconsin, this announcement contributes to the already contentious discourse surrounding Line 5. Enbridge has proposed to reroute Line 5 about 41 miles away from the Bad River Reservation, which is located in northern Wisconsin.
This comes after the Bad River Tribe sued the company in 2019 to shut down the pipeline and move it off of their lands. In November of 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources granted permits for the reroute.
Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner said in a statement that the pipeline is critical energy infrastructure that provides energy for millions of people in the Great Lakes region, creates hundreds of jobs and pours millions of dollars into the local economy. Regarding the review process, Kellner said the proposed relocation project has been through five years of review — including public input and expert studies. Kellner said it is one of the most studied projects in Wisconsin’s history.
But, in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bad River Tribe said the reroute project will impact their land’s water quality and wetland ecosystems, which violates water standards.
“If the pipeline were to spill on Bad River that would be catastrophic,” Sonoda said. “Just knowing that, oil can be really damaging to ecosystems, to animals and wildlife and to people in the water that we all rely on to drink and live.”
Public meetings to determine if Line 5 violates water quality standards for the Bad River Tribe will be held May 13 and 14.
