Trending Now - Michigan Wins Supreme Court Battle to Close Aging Pipeline
WHO:
AP News - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources revoked the straits easement for Line 5 in 2020.
AP News - A coalition of environmental groups and Michigan tribes has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state permits for the tunnel.
AP News - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Enbridge energy company, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Bad River Band of Lake Superior.
WHAT:
AP News - Enbridge is seeking permits to encase the section of pipeline beneath the straits in a protective tunnel, with relevant permits granted by the Michigan Public Service Commission in 2023.
AP News - Enbridge started work in February 2026 to reroute the line around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation.
AP News - The Supreme Court ruled that Michigan's lawsuit to shut down a section of an aging pipeline will remain in state court.
AP News - The pipeline in question is called Line 5, which has been transporting crude oil and natural gas liquids since 1953.
AP News - Nessel's lawsuit, filed in June 2019, seeks to void the easement for a 4.5-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.
AP News - A restraining order was issued by Ingham County Judge James Jamo in June 2020, allowing Enbridge to continue operations after meeting safety requirements.
AP News - Enbridge attempted to move the lawsuit to federal court in 2021 but was denied due to missing a 30-day deadline.
AP News - Enbridge is seeking permits to encase the pipeline section in a protective tunnel, with relevant permits granted by the Michigan Public Service Commission in 2023.
WHERE:
AP News - The pipeline section is located under the Straits of Mackinac, linking Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
AP News - Enbridge's pipeline also runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation in Wisconsin.
WHEN:
AP News - A federal judge in Madison gave Enbridge three years to shut down part of Line 5 that runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation in 2025.
AP News - The lawsuit was filed by Nessel in June 2019.
AP News - The restraining order was issued in June 2020.
AP News - Enbridge moved the lawsuit to federal court in 2021.
AP News - The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to state court in June 2024.
AP News - Enbridge was given three years to shut down part of Line 5 in a ruling from a federal judge in Madison in 2025.
WHY:
AP News - The Bad River and environmental groups have filed a state lawsuit seeking to halt the work, arguing regulators have underestimated the damage the reroute construction will cause.
AP News - Concerns about the pipeline section rupturing and causing a catastrophic spill have been growing since 2017, following revelations about gaps in its protective coating known since 2014.
AP News - A boat anchor damaged the pipeline section in 2018, intensifying fears of a spill.
HOW:
AP News - Enbridge has appealed the shutdown order to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
AP News - Enbridge argued that the lawsuit affects U.S. and Canadian trade in its attempt to move the case to federal court.
(UPDATED April 22, 2026 21:22 UTC)
A coalition of environmental groups and Michigan tribes has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state permits for Enbridge's proposed tunnel encasing a section of the Line 5 pipeline beneath the straits, which the Michigan Public Service Commission granted in 2023. This legal action follows a federal judge's order in 2025 giving Enbridge three years to shut down part of Line 5 that crosses the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation, with the Bad River and environmental groups arguing that regulators have underestimated the potential damage from the reroute construction. Enbridge has since appealed the shutdown order to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals while work to reroute the line began in February 20th26.
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(UPDATED April 22, 2026 19:29 UTC)
The Supreme Court has ruled that Michigan's lawsuit to shut down a section of the aging Line 5 pipeline will remain in state court, allowing Attorney General Dana Nessel's case to proceed. This lawsuit, filed in June 20th19, seeks to void the easement for a 4.5-mile section of the pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, amid growing concerns about potential catastrophic spills. Enbridge, which has been transporting crude oil and natural gas liquids through this pipeline since 1953, is currently seeking permits to encase the pipeline in a protective tunnel after a federal judge granted them three years to shut down part of Line 5.