Governor Snyder’s office says a ruling by the United States Coast Guard will better protect the Great Lakes from oil spills.
The Coast Guard named the Straits of Mackinac a ‘no anchor’ zone. This prohibits boats from dropping anchor in the area.
In May, the state temporarily blocked boats from anchoring there. This was after the state said the pipeline was reportedly dented by an anchor.
“This is one of the many things we are doing in conjunction with Enbridge the company that owns Line 5 to increase the safety level as it goes throughout the entire state of Michigan but particularly through the straits of Mackinac,” said Ari Adler, a spokesperson for Governor Snyder’s office.
Last week, the state of Michigan and Enbridge came to an agreement to build a tunnel around the aging Line 5 pipeline. The state says Enbridge would pay for the construction and maintenance of the tunnel.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority would oversee the construction.