Governor Snyder’s office says a ruling by the United States Coast Guard will better protect the Great Lakes from oil spills.
The Coast Guard named the Straits of Mackinac a ‘no anchor’ zone.
This prohibits boats from dropping anchor in the area.
In May, the state temporarily blocked boats from anchoring there.
This was after the state said the Line 5 pipeline was reportedly dented by an anchor.
“This is one of the many things we are doing in conjunction with Enbridge the company that owns Line 5 to increase the safety level as it goes throughout the entire state of Michigan but particularly through the straits of Mackinac,” said Ari Adler, a spokesperson for Governor Snyder’s office.
Last week, the state of Michigan and Enbridge came to an agreement to build a tunnel around the aging Line 5 pipeline. The state says Enbridge would pay for the construction and maintenance of the tunnel.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority would oversee the construction.