Ensure that Line 5 continues to operate until the diversion is completed in 2026, Enbridge asks US judge
WASHINGTON – Enbridge Inc. wants a US judge to confirm that the controversial Line 5 pipeline will not be shut down until it can be rerouted around Indigenous land.
The Calgary company is asking Wisconsin District Court Judge William Conley to clarify his order to move the pipeline within the next three years.
The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa has been battling Enbridge in court since 2019, saying the company no longer has permission to operate on its land.
Conley has given the company until June 2026 to complete the planned diversion, but was not explicit about whether Line 5 can continue to operate in the meantime.
In the latest lawsuit, Enbridge asks Conley to clarify that the pipeline can continue to operate in Bad River territory until the diversion is complete.
Enbridge says it expects the permitting process for the expansion to be completed sometime in 2025 and moving the pipeline section will take about a year.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 26, 2023.
