Legislation that would create an oversight group for the construction of a utility tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac is going to Governor Snyder’s desk. The Michigan House approved the legislation with a 74-to-34 vote. The quick passage will likely facilitate and agreement between Enbridge and the Mackinac Straights Corridor Authority. Enbridge has an oil and gas pipeline in the straits and will pay for the tunnel that will house that and other utilities.
REP. LAFAVE STATEMENT:
A plan approved today with bipartisan support in the Michigan House protects the Great Lakes while providing crucial energy and creating jobs and opportunity in the Upper Peninsula, said state Rep. Beau LaFave.
LaFave, of Iron Mountain, said agreements with Enbridge Energy to build a multi-use utility tunnel will provide a safer alternative for transporting the propane and natural gas that currently flows through Line 5, nearly eliminating the risk of an environmental incident between Michigan’s peninsulas.
“This agreement will make sure the energy resources Yoopers and Northern Michigan residents depend on are delivered to their homes without compromising the safety and security of our Great Lakes,” LaFave said, who was joined by all members of the U.P. delegation in supporting the plan. “We cannot afford to wait on this important issue. That’s why I was proud today to support construction of a utility tunnel.”
The plan laid out in Senate Bill 1197 creates a new, independent authority to provide oversight and take ownership of the proposed tunnel. The new body will be called the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority. A multi-use utility tunnel is the safest and most cost-effective method for delivering energy resources between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. A 2017 report prepared for the State of Michigan estimated that the Upper Peninsula would require an average of 52 truckloads of fuel — and as many as 100 truckloads in the winter – each week to meet energy needs and would saddle residents with the added cost.
“Energy rates are already far too high in the U.P. and it’s time for residents to see their rates go down, instead of up,” LaFave said. “It is complete nonsense to encourage truckload after truckload of wear and tear on our roads when experts are telling us an underground pipeline is the safest option to transport these resources.”
LaFave also noted that construction of a multi-use tunnel opens up opportunities for long-overdue service improvements.
“A multi-use tunnel reopens the conversation to build a transmission line between the Upper and Lower Peninsula,” LaFave said. “Yoopers should not have to live with the worry that a strong storm would leave them stranded without power for days while they continue to pay the highest rates in the continental U.S.”
Other potential service improvements could include broadband internet expansion and construction of a fiber optic network in the U.P.
Under the plan proposed today, LaFave said Enbridge, not taxpayers, will pay for 100 percent of design, construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnel. Once the company reaches an agreement with the newly-created Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority, the authority would own the tunnel and provide proper oversight, including a public, transparent process for ongoing operation of the tunnel.
“This project is a win-win for Michigan,” LaFave said. “Enbridge will pay for the cost of the tunnel and create thousands of jobs in Northern Michigan and the U.P. This is the right solution that protects our way of life.”
REP. CAMBENSY STATEMENT:
The Michigan House of Representatives voted today on legislation to enact an agreement between Gov. Rick Snyder and Enbridge Energy to build a tunnel below the Straits of Mackinac to house a replacement for the aging Line 5 pipeline. The bill also included an amendment offered by state Rep.Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette) to require Enbridge to develop a plan to recruit, train and utilize Michigan workers during the tunnel’s construction. In response to its passage, Rep. Cambensy issued the following statement:
“After many amendments, I was able to join 73 members of the House in supporting the formation of a tunnel authority to safely contain utilities that run under the Straits of Mackinac. I was also pleased to get an amendment passed on the floor that requires a plan to engage Michigan’s labor pool in the project, including using their recruitment, training and utilization methods.
“Should the governor sign this bill, the three-member authority will then be able to help draft an agreement between the utility companies and the state of Michigan to decommission Line 5, which currently lays on the floor of the Great Lakes. This is a win for every stakeholder.
“Because the details of this 99-year agreement will be the most important piece going forward to protect Michigan residents and our environment, I urge our governor and future tunnel authority members to make sure that all interest groups have a seat at the table to provide input before the final agreement is signed.
“The process in which legislation is drafted is vital to making sure government operates in a transparent manner at all times for its constituents. So far, this complex dialogue about whether and how to form a tunnel authority has had moments of poor communication that should have been handled differently to help gain the public’s trust. Going forward, it is my hope that we see a more unified effort among all groups and constituents. This project is too important to not bring all Michiganders together in order to do it right.”
