And we’ll show you two ways to help. Together, we can be a voice for change and protect Michigan’s land, air, water, public health, and democracy.
July 15th, 2026
The existence of Line 5 poses the single greatest threat to our Great Lakes, drinking water, Tribal sovereignty, and economy. This petroleum pipeline tunnel runs directly through the Straits of Mackinac, where a spill could impact more than 750 miles of Great Lakes coastline, contaminate drinking water for more than 40 million people, and devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem, tourism, and our economy.
In 2020, after a review of the State of Michigan’s easement allowing Enbridge to use the Straits of Mackinac for the twin pipes that sit on the bottom of the Great Lakes, Governor Whitmer and Michigan DNR concluded Enbridge was in violation of the easement’s terms and conditions and ordered Line 5 to be shut down. Enbridge ignored the order and is in active trespass by continuing Line 5’s operation in the Straits.
Since then, Enbridge has been trying to move forward a proposed tunnel project that would encase the Line 5 pipeline. While the tunnel proposal has been framed as a safer alternative to the existing dual pipelines, its construction and existence would lock Michigan into decades of continued fossil fuel infrastructure, prolonging dependence on oil transportation through one of the world’s most ecologically significant freshwater systems. Enbridge cannot build this tunnel until the state approves certain permits related to its construction.
As of July 2026, Governor Whitmer’s administration authorized key permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project. These new permits were approved by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for the project’s impacts to wetlands and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding impacts to rare plants and animals. More than 700,000 public comments were submitted during the permitting process, with thousands of Michiganders, Tribal Nations, environmental organizations, and local leaders urging the state to reject the permits. By approving these permits for the Line 5 tunnel, the Whitmer administration chose to advance Enbridge’s proposal rather than prioritize the long-term protection of the Great Lakes– all while betraying the promise she made publicly as a candidate to shut down Line 5. Additionally, Michigan would own the tunnel and the liability of any disasters. Enbridge gets to keep the profits, while taxpayers absorb the majority of the financial risk of potential damages.
Michigan LCV believes this decision to approve permits for the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac is a significant retreat by the Whitmer administration from her earlier environmental principles and a blow to Michigan’s singular obligation to protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes provide drinking water to millions of people, support Michigan’s economy, and are central to our identity as a state. Approving permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure in such a sensitive ecosystem while disregarding Tribal sovereignty and treaty-protected rights is fundamentally inconsistent with Michigan’s climate goals, environmental justice principles, and responsibility to protect our shared waters for future generations.