Enbridge

The risk of keeping Line 5 open or building a new pipeline does not outweigh the very real harms that can and will result from its continued operation.

The best way to make this already safe pipeline even safer is to move forward with the plan to get it out of the water and into the Great Lakes Tunnel, far below the Straits of Mackinac.

Republicans want to suspend the state’s 27-cent-per-gallon gas tax for six months, a relief for drivers but that would cost the state $770 million. Some Democrats want to halt the 6-percent sales tax on gasoline instead.

A report suggests two regional refineries would close because they couldn't get enough oil. Environmentalists dispute the report's projections.

The Michigan Public Service Commission included climate change impact as it considers Enbridge Energy's request to move its Line 5 oil pipeline from the lake bed of the Mackinac Straits to a proposed tunnel under the Straits.

A report commissioned by a Canadian environmental group argues that the loss of oil and natural gas to the Midwest from a Line 5 shutdown can be made up through increased use of trains, trucks and another pipeline, which Enbridge disputes.

In a year-end interview, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel vows to protect the vaccine mandate and abortion rights and blasts Enbridge over Line 5.

When Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped a federal lawsuit over the fate of Line 5 and reactivated a mothballed state-level suit, she had hoped for better odds before a state judge. Enbridge wants to undermine that strategy.

Attorney General Dana Nessel has dropped the state’s federal suit against Enbridge. But Nessel, at the request of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, has reactivated a state court suit seeking to shutdown the oil pipeline.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered Line 5 closed a year ago, citing safety concerns. The Biden administration is now involved. But chances of an imminent shutdown appear slim. We lay out some of the hurdles.

Tribal leaders have called upon the Biden administration to make “a serious commitment” to uphold the rights of Michigan tribes and shut down Line 5. Last week, Canada cited a 1977 treaty with the U.S. in hopes of keeping Line 5 open for the Canadian-based company.

Canada argues a 1977 treaty between the nations leaves Gov. Gretchen Whitmer powerless to order Line 5 shutdown. A lawyer for Canada asked a federal judge to halt the lawsuit until diplomats can talk.

Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, but it’s not clear whether using bacteria could pose problems for the surrounding environment.

Line 5 sustained no damage during the incident, which occurred as a result of an equipment failure while crews were doing maintenance work on the dual-span pipeline at the bottom of the Straits.

Since the company’s oil pipelines became a hot-button political topic in Michigan, Enbridge has steadily ramped up its physical and philanthropic presence in the Straits. Some see the generosity as infused with ulterior motives.

The federal agency announced plans to thoroughly review the project’s potential environmental impacts on the Straits of Mackinac. The process also requires the agency to consider alternatives to the tunnel project.

Republicans are using budget stalemate to hold up child care money and try to kill mask mandates, any plans for a vaccine passport and efforts to stop Line 5. They won’t likely have much luck.

In a letter Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put Enbridge on notice that if the company keeps operating Line 5 in the Straits beyond Wednesday, the state will pursue legal action to recoup any profits Enbridge amasses from “wrongful use of the State’s property.”

The Canadian petroleum company technically has until Wednesday night to stop piping oil through the Straits of Mackinac, according to the state of Michigan. But what happens if the company refuses to abide by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order?

Pipeline opponents hailed the decision by the Michigan Public Service Commission as “historic,” while Enbridge downplayed its significance.