Three Fires Confederacy Bridge Walk by Sarah Rice for Earthjustice

“We do not own the Great Lakes. We are borrowing them from future generations, and it is our responsibility to return them whole.” -Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle

Earthjustice reports that Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the director of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced yesterday that EGLE will undertake a new review of the permits that Enbridge secured in July to construct its proposed Line 5 oil tunnel project below the Straits of Mackinac:

In a letter to Enbridge President and CEO Gregory Ebel, Gov. Whitmer also called on Enbridge to begin working on a planned, orderly transition to an alternative to both the existing dual pipelines and the tunnel.

Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle said: “This Labor Day, Tribal Nations and water protectors came together in solidarity to walk with the water across the Mackinac Bridge and send a clear message: Line 5 does not belong in the heart of the Great Lakes. Tribal citizens, elders, and children came together as Anishinaabe people and as sovereign Tribal Nations, carrying water, praying, and standing up for the treaty rights our ancestors reserved for us. Our unity was a reminder that the Tribes have been right all along.

The photo is from the Three Fires Confederacy Bridge Walk For Water on the Mackinac Bridge Monday, September 7, 2026. As a person who loves Lakes Michigan & Huron and all the benefits for tourism, recreation, and of course photography they offer, thank you to all the tribes of the Three Fires Confederacy for working hard to protect the lifeblood of the Great Lakes State!