Michigan drops Line 5 lawsuit, refocuses on separate case

Line 5 runs under the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. | Photo: WDIO-TV

from Associated Press reports
Updated: November 30, 2021 06:21 PM
Created: November 30, 2021 05:53 PM

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is abandoning a lawsuit aimed at shutting down Enbridge Energy's Line 5 pipeline, but she says the state will continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal.

Michigan and Enbridge sued each other last year over the governor's withdrawal of an easement that allows Line 5 to run through the Straits of Mackinac, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet.

On Tuesday, Whitmer dropped the state's suit, although Enbridge's case will remain in federal court. The governor said her action should enable a different suit seeking a Line 5 shutdown to move forward.

In October, Canada invoked a 1977 treaty on transit of oil between the two nations to keep the line running. Canada says Line 5 is the safest way to transport oil and says the it is essential for heating homes in Canada, as well as its economy

Line 5 runs from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.