The operator of the dual pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac is refusing the State of Michigan’s demand to shut it down.
In November, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced she was revoking the easement for Enbridge’s Line 5.
Now Enbridge has responded, saying the state doesn’t have the authority. It’s filed a suit in U.S. District Court and says it has no intention of shutting down the pipeline.
Enbridge says the federal Pipeline Safety Act preempts Michigan’s attempts to enforce its own standards on Line 5.
When she announced the revocation of the easement, the Governor said Enbridge had persistently violated the terms of the easement and gave the company until the end of this May to shut it down.
Enbridge says Line 5 has no existing violations and adds that there’s no feasible alternative to the pipeline.