One member of the UP Energy Task Force says building a tunnel to house the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac is still one of the best options for the state.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer last week announced 19 people to sit on the UP Energy Task Force.
The task force will look into the best way to address the UP’s energy needs, including alternatives to the Line 5 Pipeline for bringing propane into the UP.
Mike Nystrom is with the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. He has been named to the Task Force and was previously a member of the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority under then-governor Snyder. That Authority was set to oversee the creation of a tunnel to house the pipeline.
Nystrom said the tunnel may still be the best option.
“I think it’s really going to circle back ultimately to the tunnel being one of the best options. But certainly we will hear from a multitude of opportunities.”
Nystrom said the tunnel is an environmentally sound way to send propane and other utilities into the UP.
“I just see it as the best opportunity no matter what the utility is.”
Nystrom isn’t the only person still in favor of the tunnel plan.
Brett French, Vice President of Business Development and Communications at the Upper Peninsula Power Company, made similar comments to Nicole Walton of WNMU last week while attending the UP Energy Summit.
French said the Upper Peninsula is in the process of transforming how energy is produced and transported throughout the region.
But, he added, the Line 5 pipeline is still important for bringing propane to the region.
“As long as the solution that they have brought forward can be done in an environmentally responsible manner we believe that the tunnel should be built.”
The first meeting of the UP Energy Task Force is expected sometime in July.