Army Corps Fast-Tracks Risky Enbridge Pipeline Project Despite Environmental Warnings

In a decision that spotlights the ongoing tension between energy infrastructure and environmental stewardship, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently fast-tracked approval for Enbridge’s plan to encase its aging Line 5 pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, a sensitive Great Lakes channel. This move comes despite clear warnings in the Corps’ own environmental review about potential destruction of wetlands, harm to protected bat habitats, disturbance to aquatic life, and risks of an underwater explosion.Originally slated for permitting next year, this approval was accelerated under President Trump’s directive to expedite key energy projects—a policy advancing America’s energy independence but raising...