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Enbridge has three years to re-route Line 5 off tribal lands in Wisconsin

Bad River in Wisconsin
Wikimedia Commons
Bad River in Wisconsin

A 41-mile section of Line 5 will need to be relocated following a federal judge’s decision that Enbridge Energy is trespassing on tribal lands.

Enbridge now has three years to re-route its pipeline off of the Bad River Band reservation in Northern Wisconsin.

The judge also ordered Enbridge to pay $5.1 million to the tribe after operating illegally on their land for the last decade.

Enbridge said it disagrees with the trespassing claim and plans to appeal the decision.

A company spokesperson said the three-year timeline is an “arbitrary” but achievable long-term solution to this dispute.

The company is still waiting for federal and state permits that are needed to re-route the pipeline.

Teresa Homsi is an environmental reporter and Report for America Corps Member based in northern Michigan for WCMU. She covers rural environmental issues, focused on contamination, conservation, and climate change.
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