Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has a news
conference scheduled for today in Detroit where it is expected he will announce
that US President Barack Obama has issued the necessary permit to allow the
joint US/Canadian authority to begin construction.
Although no official word has come from
either Washington or Lansing, and the news conference is officially a message about
jobs and the economy, the event is planned on Fort Street in Detroit at the
James Group International near the site of the new span.
Efforts to obtain the presidential permit
have been underway for almost a year with comment periods extended during the
process. The Ambassador Bridge Company has filed suit in Federal Court to block
construction on the new bridge, claiming the right to a monopoly.
Since the project involves two sovereign
nations, the official announcement of the presidential permit will need to come
from the US Department of State.