The Biden administration is defending the review of a proposed pipeline project supporting the transport of crude oil from Canada through Michigan as gasoline prices hover at their highest level in seven years.
The Army Corps of Engineers is currently performing an environmental impact statement on the Line 5 replacement project, which is opposed by environmentalists aligned with the White House. Deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the assessment would influence the administration’s decision on permitting for the pipeline.
“The EIS will help inform any additional action or position the U.S. will be taking on the replacement of Line 5,” Jean-Pierre said Monday when asked about the project in light of gas prices, adding that such a review is consistent with “President Biden’s commitment that every infrastructure project … must undergo a full and fair review that considers the environmental impact that those projects would have.”
“There’s a review, and we’re waiting,” she said.
Canadian company Enbridge Energy proposed the construction of a tunnel and new pipeline to replace a portion of the current pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered that the entire 645-mile Line 5 pipeline, operated by Enbridge, shut down in the spring, citing the risk of spills.
Michigan and Enbridge are currently engaged in litigation over the fate of the project.
The White House has faced pressure over gas prices and broader public worries about inflation. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told MSNBC on Monday that Biden is “looking at what options he has in the limited range of tools a president might have to address the cost of gasoline at the pump.” Granholm took criticism from Republicans for laughing in reaction to a question about boosting oil production last week.
