KEMETIC MINDS — BREAKING NEWS
September 10, 2026
Michigan regulators will take a new look at the permits behind Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state environment director Phillip Roos said Wednesday [1].
The move follows a July 31 ruling in which the Michigan Supreme Court overturned the state Public Service Commission’s approval of the tunnel project and sent the case back to the commission for further proceedings [1].
Whitmer also wrote to Enbridge telling the company to start working toward what she called an orderly transition to an alternative to both the existing pipelines and the proposed tunnel [1].
Key Facts
- Whitmer and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Phillip Roos announced Wednesday that state regulators will undertake a new review of the permits issued to Enbridge for the proposed tunnel [1].
- The Supreme Court found the Public Service Commission failed to properly consider environmental impacts, alternatives and the project’s potential effects on public trust resources [1].
- EGLE issued a resource permit for the tunnel on July 15 following a 16-month review [1].
- That permit was intended to let Enbridge replace the existing 73-year-old dual Line 5 pipelines that rest on the bottom of the Straits with a pipeline housed in a tunnel beneath the lakebed [1].
- Whitmer’s letter went to Enbridge President and CEO Gregory Ebel and called on the company to begin working toward an orderly transition away from both the existing pipelines and the proposed tunnel [1].
A Permit Granted, Then Thrown Back Into Question
The order of events matters. EGLE issued its resource permit for the tunnel on July 15 [1]. The Supreme Court ruled 16 days later, on July 31, tossing out the commission’s approval [1].
Wednesday’s announcement opens a new state review of permits that had already been granted [1].
The project has drawn years of legal challenges from tribal nations, environmental organizations and other groups concerned about potential impacts to the Great Lakes and treaty-protected resources [1]. What those groups do next — and how quickly state regulators move — is not yet settled in the available accounts.
Tribes: ‘Our Voices Should Not Only Be Heard When It Is Convenient’
Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle said the state’s decision follows years of advocacy by tribal nations and water protectors [1].
“This Labor Day, Tribal Nations and water protectors came together in solidarity to walk with the water across the Mackinac Bridge and send a clear message: Line 5 does not belong in the heart of the Great Lakes,” Gravelle said [1].
She said tribal citizens, elders and children took part as Anishinaabe people and sovereign tribal nations, carrying water, praying and asserting treaty rights [1].
“For generations, we have warned about the danger Line 5 poses to the Straits of Mackinac and the catastrophic consequences a spill could have for our waters, our fisheries, and our way of life,” Gravelle said [1].
She called the state’s action an important development but said tribal nations must be included in decisions affecting treaty-protected resources [1].
“Our treaty rights are not an afterthought, and our voices should not only be heard when it is convenient,” Gravelle said. “The Straits are our homeland, not a corridor for a foreign oil company” [1].
Gravelle added that tribal nations will keep pushing for alternatives to Line 5 that protect the Great Lakes [1].
What’s Still Unconfirmed
- Enbridge’s response to the new review, and whether it has answered Whitmer’s letter, does not appear in the source material available [1].
- No date has been given for the new EGLE review, or for when the Michigan Public Service Commission will take up the case again after the Supreme Court sent it back [1].
- The status of the July 15 resource permit during the new review is not spelled out [1].
- The source material indicates environmental groups cited the Supreme Court decision, but the text is cut off before their statements are given, so their specific positions are not available here [1].
Black Excellence This Week
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What You Can Do This Week
Not just bad news — here is where to push.
- Call your U.S. senators and demand they oppose fast-tracking Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel permits after the court ruling — Find your U.S. senators
- Urge your city council to pass a resolution opposing Line 5 tunnel permits and Great Lakes oil transport — Attend your city council meeting (USA.gov local officials)
- Ask your U.S. representative to demand a full federal environmental review before any Line 5 tunnel permit advances — Find your U.S. representative
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- Yahoo. (2026, September 9). Michigan to Revisit Line 5 Tunnel Permits After Supreme Court Ruling. yahoo.com ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f ↩g ↩h ↩i ↩j ↩k ↩l ↩m ↩n ↩o ↩p ↩q ↩r ↩s ↩t ↩u ↩v ↩w
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