MICHIGAN ~ The U.S. Supreme Court laid down a decision that sided with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a lawsuit against Enbridge Energy regarding the aging Line 5 pipeline, moving the case back to state court.
The unanimous decision found that Enbridge waited too long to move its legal dispute with Nessel’s lawsuit aiming to shut down the pipeline to federal courts, with the company missing a previous 30-day deadline to do so. Nessel originally filed the lawsuit in 2019 through the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County, with Enbridge later attempting to move the case to a federal court, arguing it was necessary since the pipeline involves trade between the U.S. and Canada.
The pipeline, which runs for 4.5 miles under the Strait of Mackinac, has long faced fears from state officials, Indigenous tribes, and environmental activists over the possibility of the line leaking, causing a major oil spill. The line, which has been in place since 1953, has been damaged multiple times recently, though Enbridge has long maintained that the line is safe.
