CALGARY, May 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers said on Friday it expects to make a decision this fall

whether to grant a permit to Enbridge's ( ENB ) proposed Great

Lakes tunnel for its Line 5 oil pipeline project.

The Army Corps, a federal engineering service, released an

updated permitting timeline for the project that includes a

30-day public comment period from May 30 to June 3, followed by

the decision in the fall.

The Army Corps has permitting authority over U.S. projects

involving wetlands and waterways.

Last month, Enbridge's ( ENB ) Line 5 project received emergency

designation after President Donald Trump declared a national

energy emergency in a January executive order, giving the Army

Corps the ability to fast-track its review of the project.

An Enbridge ( ENB ) spokesperson said in an email on Friday the

company is encouraged by the updated schedule.

"Enbridge ( ENB ) submitted project permit applications for the

Great Lakes Tunnel project to state and federal regulators in

April 2020 - more than five years ago," the spokesperson said.

The project would build a roughly 4-mile (6-km) tunnel for

the 645-mile Line 5 that crosses through the Straits of Mackinac

in the Great Lakes. The pipeline carries more than 20 million

gallons of oil and natural gas liquids daily from Superior,

Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.

Michigan regulators had approved Enbridge's ( ENB ) application to

build the $750-million tunnel under the Great Lakes to house its

aging Line 5 oil pipeline in 2023, but the project still awaits

Army Corps permitting.

Native American tribes and environmental groups who oppose

the project because of the potential risk to the Great Lakes

have refuted the idea that the tunnel is needed and that a

national energy emergency exists.