1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Line 5 Pipeline: Replacement/Tunnel Project November 9, 2021 The Line 5 Pipeline is a 30-inch, 645-mile pipeline owned by Enbridge carrying up to 540,000 barrels per day of crude oil and natural gas liquids from Superior,
2、WI, to Sarnia, Ontario (Figure 1). A key segment of Line 5 is an underwater crossing at the Straits of Mackinacbetween Michigans upper and lower peninsulaswhere the pipeline runs for approximately four miles across the lakebed. This crossing has been an environmental concern due to the risk it poses
3、 of a “worst case” oil spill into the Great Lakes. Figure 1. Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline Source: CRS using data from Platts, and Esri Data & Maps 2019. Under the terms of various state agreements, Enbridge plans to replace this pipeline segment with a new one constructed through a tunnel beneath the la
4、kebedwhich requires federal approval. Enbridge continues operating the existing pipeline in the meantime. However, the state of Michigan has ordered Line 5 to shut down. Whether the pipeline should continue operating in its current configuration, and whether the federal government should grant a tun
