Michigan just handed Enbridge another permit for the Line 5 oil tunnel
UPDATED Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 4:30 p.m. EDT
Today, as wildfire smoke from fossil-fuel-induced climate change blotted out the Mackinac Bridge (that's the actual webcam shot), EGLE reissued the tunnel's wetlands and bottomlands permits, brushing aside more than 70,000 public comments opposing this project.
EGLE's own announcement admits why the old permit died: construction never began. Enbridge has had permission since 2018 and hasn't turned a shovel, because the "tunnel" is the excuse that keeps its 73-year-old pipeline pumping oil across the lakebed of the Straits.
One EGLE decision is still pending: the NPDES permit to dump construction wastewater into Lake Michigan. Tell Director Roos to deny it, and tell Governor Whitmer to keep her promise and shut down Line 5.
Take Action Now
Send a message to Gov. Whitmer and EGLE Director Roos: Now is not the time for new fossil fuel infrastructure that will leave exposed pipelines for another decade.
ACTION PROGRESS
Want to do more? Call Governor Whitmer's office today and share your feelings on this decision. Here's the number: 517-335-7858