3/26/2025

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, alongside other tribal governments, is withdrawing from the federal Environmental Impact Statement process for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project, according to a press release yesterday.  The decision comes after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated that it intends to expedite the project’s approval under President Trump’s Executive Order declaring a national energy emergency.  The Tribe says it has actively participated as a cooperating agency in the EIS process, providing feedback and emphasizing what the tribe believes the project’s threats to the Straits of Mackinac are.  In 2018, Enbridge announced its plan for the future of the oil and natural gas pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.  Enbridge says the tunnel will travel through rock below the lakebed. The Canadian company says this plan will reduce the chance of pipeline damage. The pipeline was originally built in 1953.