The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has agreed to issue a wetland and waterway permit, with conditions, to Enbridge for its planned Line 5 Relocation project in the state, the DNR said in a statement.
The Line 5 project, which has drawn much controversy from environmental and native groups, seeks to relocate and replace sections of the system in Michigan and Wisconsin. This system currently transports up to 540 Mb/d of light crude and NGLs.
In Wisconsin, Enbridge plans to replace 20 miles of existing pipeline, including the 12-mile segment which sits on the reservation of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa; this segment runs through Ashland and Iron counties (see map below). The company will replace it with 41 miles of new pipeline routed entirely outside the reservation’s border.
Meanwhile, as part of its latest decision, the DNR will also give the project coverage under its Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) General Permit for the construction site’s storm water runoff. Enbridge still needs other permits from the DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USAC) before it can proceed with this project.
Federal permitting continues to move forward with the USAC, Enbridge said in a statement. It already has a Wisconsin contractor, a signed project labor agreement, and landowner agreements in place for this plan. Enbridge is ready to proceed as soon as final federal permits are in hand, it added.
