Legislation poised to advance in Michigan's Senate would authorize the Mackinac Bridge Authority to help implement a deal to replace twin oil pipelines in a crucial Great Lakes channel.
The Republican-led Senate Government Operations Committee plans to pass the fast-tracked bill Wednesday, and the Senate may follow later in the day.
Gov. Rick Snyder's administration says the bridge authority is the logical choice to oversee a proposed pipeline tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac. Opponents of the agreement say the authority's mission should not be altered so significantly.
In October, the Snyder administration and Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge announced a deal to replace the 65-year-old oil pipes that critics describe as an environmental disaster waiting to happen. Snyder hopes to lock in the hotly contested deal before leaving office.
