A $4.3 billion natural-gas pipeline that will run through Michigan has been given the green light, sparking concerns about safety, the environment and the direction of energy policy in the state.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given the ET Rover Pipeline its stamp of approval, saying the project's benefits outweigh concerns to landowners or surrounding communities.

But Nancy Shiffler with the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club says the construction will pose numerous environmental risks, in addition to those that come from the hydraulic-fracturing process.

"Parts of the pipeline go through forested areas which are habitat for migratory birds and a couple of invasive bat species, and then the pipeline is going to travel under or through some important wetland areas."

Energy Transfer, the company behind the project, also is responsible for the Dakota Access Pipeline.