New Governor Requests Legal Review of Line 5 Legislation

摘要

Michigan's new Democratic governor,Gretchen Whitmer,has requested a legal opinion from the state's attorney general on the constitutionality of Enbridge Line 5 legislation passed during the 2018 lame duck session.That legislation,PA 359,promoted by outgoing Republican Gov.Rick Snyder,created the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and sealed an agreement with Enbridge Inc.(Calgary)to decommission the existing Line 5 pipeline and replace it with a line encased in a bedrock-reinforced utility tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac.The 10-year project's cost is estimated at between $350 million and $500 million.Enbridge agreed to pay for the tunnel's design,construction,operation,and maintenance for up to 99 years,with the new Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority owning the tunnel,leasing space to Enbridge,and providing oversight.Both Whitmer and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel,who also took office in January,have been fierce critics of the tunnel plan,with Whitmer pledging during her gubernatorial campaign to shut down Line 5 owing to what she alleged were environmental risks.The pipeline has operated for more than 65 years without incident.