{"id":1550,"date":"2026-08-19T19:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1550"},"modified":"2026-08-19T19:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:08:39","slug":"us-army-corps-pushes-michigan-pipeline-project-ahead-over-indigenous-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1550","title":{"rendered":"US Army Corps Pushes Michigan Pipeline Project Ahead Over Indigenous Opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more Sen. Darline Graham Says She\u2019s \u201cNot That Informed on National Security\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a key permit for a plan to update an aging segment of the Line 5 pipeline crossing the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, the waterways that tribal nations say are central to their ways of life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a procedural win for Line 5 owner Enbridge Energy, but comes amid ongoing legal and regulatory hurdles at the state level that prevent the start of construction. The pipeline carries oil and natural gas liquids 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, through Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario, and Enbridge wants to replace a 4-mile segment that lays on the bottom of the ecologically sensitive straits with a new one, buried in a tunnel under the lakebed.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued with the decision, the Army Corps said the project wasn\u2019t contrary to the public interest, complied with Clean Water Act guidelines, and \u201cwould not abrogate or impermissibly impair tribal treaty rights.\u201d Review of the permit was fast-tracked under President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order last year declaring a \u201c.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Michigan tribes that have fought for years to shut down the pipeline, the federal permit approval was \u201cdisrespectful and ludicrous,\u201d said Austin Lowes, chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re acutely aware of the impact that this project will have on Indian Country, and they just flat-out ignored it,\u201d Lowes said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most disgusting things that I\u2019ve ever been confronted with as a tribal leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

According , tunnel construction would have permanent adverse impacts on wetlands, vegetation, land use, and cultural resources. The straits are sacred to Anishaabe peoples \u2014 the waters feature prominently in their creation story and serve as burial grounds for ancestors. Five tribal nations also hold treaty rights to fish and hunt in these waters, rights that predate Michigan\u2019s statehood and are protected by federal law under the 1836 Treaty of Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cUs surrendering and ceding that land came with certain expectations and rights,\u201d Lowes said. \u201cAnd one of those expectations was that we would be consulted any time decisions were going to be made on the federal level that would impact our way of life, and the tunnel project certainly does that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency determined that despite any negative impacts on surrounding lands and property, the proposed tunnel would reduce the environmental risks associated with the pipeline, such as leaks caused by a direct hit from a boat\u2019s anchor. \u201cThe benefits of the project outweigh its detriments,\u201d the Army Corps stated. Its scope of analysis was focused on the construction impacts, and not the risk of an oil spill or greenhouse gas emissions beyond the tunnel site, which the is the responsibility of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.<\/p>\n

Last year, seven Michigan tribal nations withdrew from discussion with the Army Corps over the permit, saying that regulators ignored tribal expertise, input, and concerns, and undermined treaty rights. The withdrawal also came after the Army Corps suggested that the review process would likely be fast-tracked under President Trump\u2019s emergency executive order.<\/p>\n

\u201cA project that\u2019s going to take somewhere between six and 10 years to build is certainly not a response to a national energy emergency, and it won\u2019t change the amount of fossil fuels transported,\u201d said Debbie Chizewar, managing attorney at Earthjustice, a legal nonprofit supporting Michigan tribes in litigation against Enbridge.<\/p>\n

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The Army Corps\u2019 \u201cflawed\u201d review likely has wider impacts for all tribal nations, said David Gover, who is Pawnee and Choctaw and a managing attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, which is supporting Earthjustice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis notion that, \u2018Yeah, we understand that this will permanently destroy your resting relatives, but we don\u2019t care, and we got to move ahead. We got to have these fossil fuels\u2019 \u2014 that challenges tribal sovereignty,\u201d Gover said.<\/p>\n

Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy said in a statement that the permit approval is \u201ca significant step forward\u201d for the project, and reflects years of \u201crigorous review\u201d from the federal agency. The company \u201cis committed to protecting the Great Lakes, the region\u2019s natural and cultural resources, and the waterfront communities that depend on them, while also ensuring reliable energy for the region,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

Even with a federal stamp of approval, Enbridge can\u2019t start on tunnel construction without all state permits. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is still deliberating on a wastewater discharge permit, with a decision expected before the end of September.<\/p>\n

And last month, a nearly unanimous Michigan Supreme Court sent an approved state permit back to regulators for a more thorough review, saying that the public service commission didn\u2019t consider the full range of impacts to the environment.<\/p>\n

Separate from the tunnel project, Line 5 faces legal challenges from groups that have fought to shut down the pipeline for years, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s administration. The state is appealing a federal judge\u2019s decision that said the governor had no authority to shut down the pipeline in 2020.<\/p>\n

This spring, a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for state court proceedings on whether the aging pipeline can continue operating in the straits. The case will continue after Governor Whitmer\u2019s appeal is resolved.<\/p>\n

Lawyers working with some Michigan tribes said they\u2019re exploring legal options to challenge the Army Corps\u2019 permit.<\/p>\n

\u201cTribes have been here since time immemorial. We\u2019re not going anywhere,\u201d Gover said. \u201cThis is just another fight that Indian Country takes on and makes certain that those treaties that we signed are meaningful and honor our jurisdictions and sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Fake LA Mayor Race Poll Raises Alarm Over Election Manipulation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The project, which tribes say violates treaty rights, has been the subject of heated controversy and legal battles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nUS Army Corps Pushes Michigan Pipeline Project Ahead Over Indigenous Opposition - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1550\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Army Corps Pushes Michigan Pipeline Project Ahead Over Indigenous Opposition - 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