Trump Administration Seeks to Fast-Track Projects in the Great Lakes and Wisconsin
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Trump administration is looking to fast-track hundreds of energy projects across the nation including plans for a pipeline project in the Great Lakes and a fossil fuel plant in Superior, Michigan.
These projects have been marked as eligible to receive an emergency permit by the Army Corps following President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring a national energy emergency. They include Canadian energy firm Enbridge’s proposal to build a $750 million tunnel to house Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron. A roughly $1 billion gas-fired power plant in Superior proposed by several utilities is also on the list.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, The Army Corps is reviewing federal permits for both projects under the Clean Water Act and River and Harbors Act. An Army Corps spokesperson said the agency is reviewing permit applications in relation to Trump’s executive order. The agency said Thursday that it’s already revising its list of projects eligible for an emergency permit, raising questions as to which ones will remain.
The agency has previously fast-tracked permits in emergencies, such as natural disasters. Federal regulations say the Army Corps can expedite permits if it would create “an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship” to follow the agency’s standard process.
Enbridge’s Line 5 runs 645 miles and carries up to 23 million gallons of oil per day from Superior to Sarnia, Ontario. In a statement, Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner noted the company first applied for a permit with the Army Corps in 2020 for the proposed tunnel, calling it critical energy infrastructure. The project aims to reduce the risk of spills in a 4-mile span of the 72 year-old Line 5, which has been damaged by anchor strikes in recent years.
