Enbridge seeks federal jurisdiction in oil pipeline dispute

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is fighting efforts to move a lawsuit over Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline to federal court.

Nessel filed suit in 2019, arguing that Line 5 should not operate in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac because it risks a spill. Nessel filed a second suit in 2020 to enforce a shutdown order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

A federal judge agreed with Enbridge last month that litigation over Whitmer’s order belongs in federal court. On Wednesday, Enbridge moved to shift Nessel’s earlier lawsuit to federal court as well. Nessel vowed to fight the effort.

Canada invoked a 1977 treaty in October to keep the pipeline operating, saying Line 5 is essential for heating homes in Canada and is also essential for its economy.

The pipeline runs from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.