Is there really a public need for the Great Lakes Tunnel?

Our Answer

The public need for the Great Lakes Tunnel was established by the Michigan Legislature with its passage of Act 359 to secure greater environmental protection to the Great Lakes and the needed energy delivered by Line 5.

Michigan and the entire region depend on the energy that Line 5 safely delivers every day. Line 5 is a critical source of 540,000 barrels per day of propane and crude oil supply for Michigan and surrounding areas, and its shutdown would lead to a serious disruption of the energy market. Line 5 serves an estimated 55% of the state’s propane needs, including approximately 65% of the propane used in the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, for which no viable alternatives exist.

Line 5 also supplies Michigan and regional refineries that provide the state with various fuels on which its residents rely in their day-to-day lives. Refineries served by Line 5 supply a large percentage of the aviation fuel at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport, an important contributor to the state’s economy.