The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Aug. 14, edition that the United States Army Corps of Engineers has permitted construction of Enbridge's controversial Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe reports that the project, which would divert a section of the Line 5 petroleum pipeline from the open waters of the Straits into a concrete tunnel beneath the lakebed, is "not contrary to the public interest" and would not harm tribal treaty rights, the Army Corps said in announcing its permit. Nonetheless, the Corps noted the project would have adverse effects on endangered species and archaeological sites, that it would contribute to "long-term impacts of habitat loss" and have "long-term detrimental impacts on land use." While the federal approval clears a big hurdle for the nearly decade-old proposal, don't expect shovels in the ground anytime soon. The Michigan Supreme Court recently ordered state energy regulators to reconsider a separate key permit, the project remains tied up in state and federal court, and new lawsuits have been promised by opponents. Still, Line 5 owner Enbridge praised Wednesday's decision.