Page 8 - NorthAmOil Week 16 2021

NorthAmOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT NorthAmOil

Enbridge is seeking to
relocate the underwater
portion of Line 5, which
runs through the Straits
of Mackinac, into an
underground tunnel.

Michigan regulators to consider

climate impact of Line 5

MICHIGAN THE Michigan Public Service Commission The regulator said it was required under the
(MPSC) ruled this week that it would con- Michigan Environmental Protection Act to con-
sider the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of sider not only pollution from building the tun-
Enbridge’s Line 5 project. nel and new pipeline segment, but also from the
Calgary-based Enbridge is seeking to relocate petroleum liquids the infrastructure will be used
the underwater portion of the pipeline, which to transport. It did not say how much weight it
runs through the Straits of Mackinac, into an would give to the GHG impact in determining
underground tunnel in a bid to extend the whether to grant Enbridge a permit, but noted
lifespan of Line 5. However, the pipeline’s abil- that it would welcome evidence.
ity to operate at all is under threat, after Michi- Enbridge also still requires permits for con-
gan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered that struction of the tunnel from the US Army Corps The mediation
Enbridge shut down the pipeline by May 12. She of Engineers.
has alleged that the company had repeatedly vio- Meanwhile, the mediation process in the dis- process in the
lated the conditions of the easement that allows pute between Michigan and Enbridge began on
it to operate Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. April 16. It is expected that no decision on Line dispute between
Enbridge is contesting Whitmer’s order in 5’s fate will be reached until the middle of the
the courts. In the meantime, the MPSC is mov- summer or beyond, and there is speculation that Michigan and
ing forward with its review of Enbridge’s tunnel as the court case plays out, Enbridge will be able Enbridge began
proposal, having ruled that it would not pass to keep operating the pipeline beyond Whitmer’s
judgment on whether the entire Line 5 should deadline for a shutdown. on April 16.
keep operating. Instead, it will focus only on the The Canadian government has thrown its
6.4-km section of pipeline that crosses the straits weight behind supporting the project. Last week,
connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Canadian Natural Resources Minister Seamus
The whole of Line 5 is 1,038 km, running O’Regan described the project as “non-nego-
from Wisconsin in the US to Ontario, Canada. tiable” for Canada, saying Ottawa had spoken
It has the capacity to carry up to 540,000 bar- with US President Joe Biden and all other levels
rels per day (bpd) of oil and natural gas liquids of government in the US to defend the project.
(NGLs). Cross-border pipelines between the US and
The MPSC’s decision to consider the GHG Canada are a sensitive issue following Biden’s
emissions related to Line 5 marks the first time decision to revoke the permit for TC Energy’s
that such emissions will be factored into a review Keystone XL project, which effectively killed that
of a project’s environmental impacts under the pipeline. However, O’Regan said that Line 5 is
Michigan Environmental Protection Act. “very different” from Keystone XL.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 16 22•April•2021