With just one more permit remaining, Enbridge is preparing to get the Line 5 tunnel project out of the planning stage.
The company announced at the Feb. 2 Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority meeting that it's chosen a contractor to construct the 4-mile tunnel.
Anna Mooney, a government relations manager with Enbridge, said the company is still on-boarding the contractor and plans to "thoughtfully roll them out to the public."
"A lot of the focus, for at least this next year, for the contractor will be around permitting, helping to ensure that we can move forward with the Army Corps and our permitting," Mooney said.
The MSCA has also selected a firm that's meant to independently review the tunnel engineering and plans.
During the meeting, Don Wotring, an engineer with Delve Underground, explained his role as the new independent quality assurance contractor.
"...To represent the state, do an independent inspection, quality insurance, that might be some testing, to verify that the contractor is doing what they say they're going to do," Wotring said.
The state said it's still working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "update the timeline" on the final federal permit needed for the tunnel.
So far, the USACE has not budged on changing its review timeline, which is scheduled to wrap up in two more years.
In a statement to WCMU last fall, a USACE spokesperson said the schedule "represents a realistic timeline."
"As [the] USACE evaluates the environmental impacts of the proposed tunnel project, we may identify the need for additional information, within our scope of analysis, which is necessary to fully support the permit decision and meet our tribal trust responsibilities," wrote Carrie Fox, a USACE public affairs specialist.
Watch the full meeting: MSCA YouTube video.
