Public Meetings Begin on Underwater Oil Pipeline Options

HOLT, Mich. (AP) — Public meetings are beginning on a report listing alternatives to pipelines carrying oil beneath the waterway where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.

The analysis by Dynamic Risk Assessment Systems Inc. was released last week. It presented six choices for dealing with Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The pipeline runs from Wisconsin through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before dividing into two lines on the lake bottom.

Environmental groups want the 64-year-old line decommissioned, saying it’s unsafe. Enbridge says it’s in good condition.

Among options in the report are rerouting the line, installing new pipes in tunnels or trenches and making no changes.

The first meeting is Thursday at Holt High School in the town of Holt.

It begins at 5 p.m. EDT and will be livestreamed at http://mipetroleumpipelines.com.