A tunnel for the Line 5 oil and gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac has its first permit.
The permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality would let Enbridge Energy take soil and rock samples from the Straits.
Company spokesperson Ryan Duffy was not available to comment on tape, but he says the samples will help them determine how to construct the tunnel.
Duffy says Enbridge will also need a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, that has not come through yet.
At the same time, the governor has asked Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the legislation that approved the tunnel.
Governor Whitmer wants to know if it’s constitutional.
A spokesperson for the attorney general says the review should be done by early March.