One of the supports holding up a section of Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac is clearly visible in this photo. Enbridge, the Canadian company that owns the controversial pipeline, wants to install dozens of other supports in the straits, which some people have questioned. (File photo)

MACKINAW CITY — More than two dozen people spoke out at a public hearing against a proposal for more anchor supports in the Straits of Mackinac to bolster twin oil pipelines.

Enbridge Inc. is asking the Department of Environmental Quality to allow installation of 48 additional supports for its Line 5 pipes. A public hearing Wednesday evening in Mackinaw City drew waterfront property owners, environmentalists and others.

Line 5 extends from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. A nearly 5-mile section runs beneath the straits, where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan converge.

The company has made several requests to install supports after gaps were discovered beneath the pipes. The DEQ earlier granted a permit for 22 supports.

Environmental groups want Line 5 decommissioned and say the supports wouldn’t necessarily make it safer.