The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Michigan, keeping a lawsuit about the aging Line 5 pipeline in state court. This pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas, has been in operation since 1953.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained that Enbridge, the company behind the pipeline, waited too long to move the case to federal court. Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, filed the lawsuit in 2019 to cancel the easement that allows Enbridge to run a 4.5-mile section under the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
Safety concerns have grown over the years, especially after revelations in 2017 about gaps in the protective coating. An anchor strike in 2018 only heightened fears of a potential spill. By 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration revoked the straits easement for Line 5, leading to multiple legal battles.
Enbridge has claimed that the case’s implications affect both U.S. and Canadian trade and tried to shift to federal court in 2021. However, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against them, determining they missed a critical deadline.
In response to ongoing pressure, Enbridge is also seeking permits to encase this section of the pipeline in a protective tunnel. In 2023, the state granted these permits, but environmentalists and local tribes have filed their own lawsuit to challenge this decision.
Experts in environmental policy have noted the potential risks of keeping such an old pipeline operational, given the past incidents and ongoing disputes over safety and environmental protection. Research suggests that aging infrastructure poses a significant risk, and as climate change pushes the urgency for safer energy practices, this case may set an important precedent.
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, Enbridge faces its own challenges, including a federal order to shut down part of the pipeline that runs through tribal land. This ongoing situation illustrates the growing scrutiny of environmental safety and the activism surrounding it.
With all this in play, the outcome of Michigan’s lawsuit could have wider implications for energy policy, environmental justice, and the future of aging infrastructure across the country.
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General news, Gretchen Whitmer, Courts, Michigan, Sonia Sotomayor, Wisconsin, Lawsuits, Michigan state government, MI State Wire, WI State Wire, Business, Dana Nessel, Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Democratic Party, Washington news, James Jamo
