The Army Corps of Engineers has pushed a final permit decision on a Michigan oil tunnel into next year, after releasing an additional environmental review of the project.
The agency’s Detroit District said Thursday it analyzed a drilling installation alternative for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project that was “addressed but eliminated from detailed analysis” in an earlier assessment, according to the report’s executive summary.
Enbridge’s proposal aims to encase a replacement segment of the Line 5 oil pipeline in an underground tunnel below the lake bed. The Detroit District once aimed to issue a record of decision on the project this year, but an updated online calendar for the project shows the decision arriving in the spring of 2026.
The Army Corps picked the Line 5 tunnel for fast-track status in April, a move slammed by opponents of the project.
