Regulators OK Permit for Anchor Supports for Oil Pipeline

MACKINAW CITY, Mich. (AP) - Michigan regulators have issued a permit that allows more anchor supports to bolster twin oil pipelines in the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac.

The Department of Environmental Quality announced the update Tuesday.

Canadian oil transport giant Enbridge had asked the DEQ to allow 48 additional supports for its Line 5 pipes. They'll be attached to the pipes and screwed into the lakebed.

Line 5 extends from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. A section runs beneath the straits, where lakes Huron and Michigan converge. The company made requests to install supports after gaps were discovered beneath the pipes. The DEQ earlier granted a permit for 22 supports .

The update comes as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder works to finalize an agreement with Enbridge to replace Line 5's underwater segment.