Enbridge has kicked off construction of a contentious reroute of the Line 5 oil pipeline around a reservation in northern Wisconsin, even as environmental groups try to block the activity.
The Army Corps of Engineers finalized a permit Tuesday that was first issued in late October, Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner said in a statement. The move allows the Canadian company to begin constructing the project.
The finalized permit from the Army Corps “allows construction to move forward on the most studied pipeline project in Wisconsin’s history,” Kellner said Tuesday. “Construction activities will begin today.”
Enbridge’s proposal will replace an existing 12-mile section of Line 5 that moves through the Bad River Reservation with 41 miles of pipe that will go around the reservation. Environmental groups slammed the Army Corps’ October decision to issue the permit as putting the interest of a foreign company over those of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Wisconsinites in general.
