By Associated Press - Wednesday, May 6, 2020

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Enbridge’s application for an oil pipeline tunnel beneath a Great Lakes channel can’t be processed without more information, including an analysis of alternatives to the project, state regulators say.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy requested additional details from the Canadian company this week. Enbridge wants to run the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lakes Huron and Michigan.

It would replace twin pipelines that cross the bottom of the straits.

The department said state law requires a “complete assessment” of feasible or prudent alternatives to the tunnel project. Enbridge’s application mentions two options but doesn’t analyze them, it said.

The department also sought plans for dealing with protected wetlands and plants.

Spokesman Scott Dean said it’s routine to request more information during permit application reviews. Public hearings and tribal consultations will be scheduled, he said.

“We will provide the information EGLE has requested and move forward with this process,” Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy said Wednesday.

Plans still call for beginning construction next year and finishing in 2024, he said.

Environmental groups described the department’s action as a “setback” for the tunnel project that suggests Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration may consider “the threat of oil pipelines in the Great Lakes and their damage to the climate.”

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