Canada’s Enbridge Inc on Thursday said it was “disappointed” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to extend the federal permitting process for the company’s proposed Great Lakes Tunnel that would rehouse its Line 5 oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac.
Calgary-based Enbridge said the move will delay its plan to replace the existing Line 5 pipeline, which runs underwater for four miles (6.4 km) between Lakes Michigan and Huron, and push back the start of construction until 2026.
“While we are supportive of a thorough, comprehensive and carefully considered permitting process that ensures adequate opportunity for review and comment, we are disappointed with the extended timeline for a project of this scope,” Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy said in a statement.
Enbridge proposed building the $750 million tunnel to address concerns Line 5 could leak into the Great Lakes. The 70-year-old pipeline carries 540,000 barrels per day from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.
(Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)