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Regulators deny quick approval of new Great Lakes pipeline

The state Public Service Commission on Tuesday voted to conduct a full review of the proposal

Credit: AP

FILE - This July 19, 2002, file photo, shows the Mackinac Bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac from Mackinaw City, Mich. Enbridge Inc. says it's setting a firm deadline for completing a proposed oil pipeline tunnel beneath a key Great Lakes channel linking Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The Canadian company says it has pledged to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that the tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac would be in service by early 2024. Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes said Thursday, May 30, 2019, the company made a firm commitment to it in a recent letter to Whitmer. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Michigan regulatory agency has denied Enbridge's request for quick approval of its plan to put a replacement oil pipeline beneath a Great Lakes channel.

The state Public Service Commission on Tuesday voted to conduct a full review of Enbridge's proposal.

Enbridge wants to extend the pipeline through a tunnel that would be drilled beneath the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan. It would replace dual Line 5 pipes that lie on the bottom of the straits.

The company contends it doesn't need the public service commission's approval for the new line because the agency allowed the original pipes in 1953.

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