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Crepuscular

(1,067 posts)
8. ...
Thu Apr 17, 2025, 01:06 PM
Apr 17

Just for clarification, this proposed tunnel is planned to run underneath the Straits of Mackinac, through bedrock. It's designed to replace the current pipeline, which is 50+years old and which sits on the bottom of the lake. There have been several instances where the anchors of ships have dragged against the pipeline and have damaged it. If the current pipeline spills, the oil goes directly into Lake Michigan/Huron. If the proposed tunnel pipeline leaks, it would conceivably be contained within the tunnel structure and would not contaminate the Great Lakes. While many would say that the current pipeline should be eliminated and not replaced, the alternative to that is an increase in the amount of oil transported by train and tractor-trailers, both of which have the potential to spill oil in the case of an accident and contaminate surface waters. No easy answer but the tunnel seems to be the least likely to cause an environmental disaster.

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