New Mackinac Straits authority approves agreement to replace pipeline

The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA), which outgoing Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) established a week earlier, approved an agreement with Enbridge Energy LP on Dec. 19 to build a multi-use utility tunnel which will include a new crude oil and products pipeline beneath the waters of the straits between Lakes Michigan and Huron.

At its inaugural meeting in St. Ignace, the MSCA also approved transfer of a property right, which will let Enbridge move ahead on constructing the tunnel in bedrock beneath the straits.

“From the beginning of this four-year process, our fundamental goal has been to protect the Great Lakes against an oil spill through a solution we know will work,” the governor said.

“Today’s actions will result in the removal of the oil pipeline from the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, maintain critical infrastructure connections between our peninsulas, provide energy security for residents of the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, and create good-paying jobs,” he maintained.

Snyder and leaders of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Quality departments also signed a separate agreement with Enbridge which carries forward provisions of two previous agreements with the company in November 2017 and October 2018.

The new agreement requires Enbridge to undertake an enhanced inspection and stewardship regimen, a Natural Resources department official said. It also includes interpretations of the 1953 easement for the dual pipelines on the bottom of the Straits, as well as ongoing financial assurance requirements for the pipelines.

How Enbridge views the project

“This major infrastructure project is an investment in Michigan,” Brad Shamla, Enbridge’s vice-president of US liquids pipelines, said on Dec. 19. “It will deliver long-term environmental protection, as well as energy security, jobs, and opportunities for the people there.”

The new agreement puts in place enhanced inspection and operations protocols for the current Line 5 to assure that the current dual pipelines will continue to operate safely while the tunnel is built, he explained.

Enbridge also has committed to pay for cameras to give the US Coast Guard real-time monitoring capabilities for shipping traffic in the straits, Shamla said. This added safety measure provides further assurance for the dual pipelines there until the new tunnel is in operation, he noted.

“Line 5 is an important part of Michigan’s energy infrastructure, and placing a new tunnel under the straits will eliminate potential risks while ensuring a reliable and affordable energy supply to both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas,” the Enbridge official said.

Snyder established MSCA to represent the state’s interest in the project, instead of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, more than 2 months after Enbridge Inc. agreed to shut down its Line 5 in the straits and pay for a tunnel which will house its replacement as well as several utility lines (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2018).

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].