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MICHIGAN – The Trump administration on Wednesday issued a presidential permit for Enbridge’s Line 5 crossing the U.S.-Canadian border at the St. Clair River, a move advocates say officially turns the controversial pipeline into “Trump’s pipeline.”

“This isn’t about energy security or lowering gas prices. It’s about guaranteeing profits for a Canadian oil company,” said Sean McBrearty, Oil & Water Don’t Mix coordinator. “Trump just put the federal government’s stamp on a 73-year-old pipeline in the Great Lakes. The public gets the risk. Enbridge gets the reward.”

Enbridge filed for the new permit the day before the inauguration, positioning itself to take advantage of the administration’s fast-track fossil fuel agenda. In reality, it simply replaces a 1953 presidential authorization for the Line 5 crossing at the St. Clair River. That stretch of the pipeline was replaced in 2020.

It also does nothing to ease gas prices. Oil prices are set on global markets, and much of what Line 5 carries is routed through Michigan back to Canada for refining and use in Ontario and Quebec.

“Calling this ‘energy relief’ is a smokescreen,” said McBrearty. “This permit won’t lower prices by a single cent. It’s a subsidy for Enbridge and paid for with continued Great Lakes risk.”

The permit applies only to the St. Clair River border crossing. It does not authorize or advance Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, which still requires a critical permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

“This is a political decision, not an energy solution. Trump’s pipeline won’t lower gas prices. It won’t protect the Great Lakes. It will pad Enbridge’s bottom line and leave Michigan holding the risk.” - Sean McBrearty, OWDM Coordinator

“Let’s be clear: this permit doesn’t greenlight the tunnel,” said McBrearty. “That decision still largely rests with Michigan regulators, and they have the authority to stop this dangerous project.”

The permit comes as legal battles continue over Michigan’s effort to shut down Line 5 and as tribal nations press treaty-based claims against the pipeline.

Trump’s new Line 5 permit also requires Enbridge to meet strict standards — including maintaining the pipeline in good repair and covering environmental damages — obligations critics say the company is already failing to meet.

“This is a political decision, not an energy solution,” said McBrearty. “Trump’s pipeline won’t lower gas prices. It won’t protect the Great Lakes. It will pad Enbridge’s bottom line and leave Michigan holding the risk.”