Enbridge rejects Michigan’s demand to shut down oil pipeline
4 years, 2 months ago

Enbridge rejects Michigan’s demand to shut down oil pipeline

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Enbridge said Tuesday it would defy Michigan’s demand to shut down an oil pipeline that runs through a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, contending that Gov. Dan Eichinger, director of the state Department of Natural Resources, described the letter as “Enbridge’s attempt to power-wash the company’s long history of violating the terms of the 1953 easement, and their current non-compliance.” “Enbridge cannot unilaterally decide when laws and binding agreements apply and when they do not,” Eichinger said. Whitmer’s order said granting the easement in a busy shipping lane vulnerable to anchor strikes was a mistake and Enbridge had made things worse, repeatedly violating a requirement that the pipelines rest on the lake bed or have other supports at least every 75 feet. “The governor’s notice is actually based on inaccurate and outdated information that ignores the current condition of the dual pipelines” that federal regulators have described as safe, Koby said.

Michigan Company State Pipeline Whitmer Pipelines Enbridge Koby Straits  pipeline  enbridge  yu  oil  straits  state  based  rejects  shut  order  pipelines  federal  michigans  company  demand

History of this topic

Michigan appeals court upholds permits for Great Lakes pipeline tunnel project
1 month, 1 week ago

Michigan appeals court upholds permits for Great Lakes pipeline tunnel project

Associated Press  

Enbridge Energy’s plans to build a protective tunnel around an aging pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes can continue, a Michigan appeals court ruled. The state Public Service Commission properly issued permits for the $500 million project, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in rejecting arguments from environmental groups and Native American tribes that commissioners …

Wisconsin tribe and other groups move to block pipeline reroute plans
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin tribe and other groups move to block pipeline reroute plans

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A northern Wisconsin tribe along with a coalition of groups moved Thursday to block plans to reroute an aging pipeline around the tribe’s reservation, arguing state regulators have underestimated the environmental damage that construction would cause. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa filed a lawsuit in Ashland County asking a judge to stay the state …

Panel urged to move lawsuit to state court that seeks shutdown of part of aging pipeline in Michigan
1 year ago

Panel urged to move lawsuit to state court that seeks shutdown of part of aging pipeline in Michigan

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Michigan attorneys pressed a federal appellate panel on Thursday to move their lawsuit seeking to shut down a portion of an aging oil pipeline running beneath the Straits of Mackinac from federal to state court, arguing that state environmental protection laws are in play. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that the challenge to Enbridge Inc.'s Line …

Enbridge appeals to vacate an order that would shut down its pipeline
1 year, 1 month ago

Enbridge appeals to vacate an order that would shut down its pipeline

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — An attorney for the energy company Enbridge tried to persuade a federal appellate court Thursday to vacate an order that would shut down part of a pipeline running through a Wisconsin tribal reservation. About 12 miles of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The company contends that U.S. …

Michigan regulators approve $500M pipeline tunnel project under channel linking 2 Great Lakes
1 year, 4 months ago

Michigan regulators approve $500M pipeline tunnel project under channel linking 2 Great Lakes

Associated Press  

Michigan officials approved a $500 million plan Friday to encase in a protective tunnel a portion of an aging oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, leaving just one more regulatory hurdle for the contentious project. The commission’s chairperson, Dan Scripps, said the tunnel is the best way to mitigate the risk of a spill as …

Judge gives Enbridge 3 years to close oil pipeline on tribal land in Wisconsin
1 year, 9 months ago

Judge gives Enbridge 3 years to close oil pipeline on tribal land in Wisconsin

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has given Enbridge three years to shut down parts of an oil pipeline that crosses reservation land and ordered the energy company to pay a Native American tribe more than $5 million for trespassing. The judge’s order said a rupture on tribal land “would unquestionably be a public nuisance” but denied that the threat …

Army Corps further delays decision on Great Lakes oil tunnel
2 years ago

Army Corps further delays decision on Great Lakes oil tunnel

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A federal review of plans for a Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel will take more than a year longer than originally planned, officials said Thursday, likely delaying completion of the project — if approved — until 2030 or later. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had intended to release a draft report later this year on …

Judge orders Enbridge, tribe to form emergency pipeline plan
2 years, 4 months ago

Judge orders Enbridge, tribe to form emergency pipeline plan

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has ordered energy company Enbridge Inc. and an American Indian tribe to come up with an emergency plan to prevent potential spills from an aging oil pipeline running across the tribe’s reservation. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa sued Enbridge in federal court in 2019 to force the company to remove a …

Michigan panel wants details on Great Lakes oil tunnel plan
2 years, 8 months ago

Michigan panel wants details on Great Lakes oil tunnel plan

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Michigan regulatory panel said Thursday that it needs more information about safety risks before it can rule on Enbridge Energy’s plan to extend an oil pipeline through a tunnel beneath a waterway linking two of the Great Lakes. Enbridge has obtained permits from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and awaits word …

Enbridge seeks federal jurisdiction in oil pipeline dispute
3 years, 3 months ago

Enbridge seeks federal jurisdiction in oil pipeline dispute

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Enbridge Energy moved Wednesday to shift to federal court a Michigan lawsuit seeking shutdown of an oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. The Canadian company argued that a 2019 lawsuit filed in a state court by Attorney General Dana Nessel should be heard by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff, …

Michigan drops oil pipeline suit, refocuses on separate case
3 years, 4 months ago

Michigan drops oil pipeline suit, refocuses on separate case

Associated Press  

Gretchen Whitmer abandoned a lawsuit Tuesday aimed at shutting down an oil pipeline that runs through part of the Great Lakes but said the state would continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal. Whitmer’s legal maneuver followed a federal judge’s decision earlier this month to retain jurisdiction over a suit brought by Enbridge Energy after the state revoked …

Judge keeps Michigan oil pipeline case in federal court
3 years, 4 months ago

Judge keeps Michigan oil pipeline case in federal court

Associated Press  

A federal judge retained jurisdiction Tuesday in a dispute over a Canadian oil pipeline that runs through a section of the Great Lakes, rejecting Michigan Gov. The clash over whether Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 should continue operating raises issues “under consideration at the highest levels of this country’s government” involving a U.S.-Canada treaty and federal pipeline safety regulation, U.S. District …

Canada cites US treaty in pipeline dispute in Michigan
3 years, 5 months ago

Canada cites US treaty in pipeline dispute in Michigan

Associated Press  

DETROIT — Canada invoked a treaty with the United States and asked a judge Monday to suspend litigation over Michigan’s effort to shut down a Great Lakes oil pipeline. In a federal court in Michigan, an attorney representing Canada said the treaty’s dispute settlement process must trigger a pause in any litigation. “Rather than taking steps to diversify energy supply …

Enbridge ordered to pay $3M for Line 3 groundwater leak
3 years, 6 months ago

Enbridge ordered to pay $3M for Line 3 groundwater leak

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota regulators have ordered Enbridge to pay more than $3 million for allegedly violating state environmental law by piercing a groundwater aquifer during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement. The state Department of Natural Resources said Enbridge, while working near Clearbrook in January, dug too deeply into the ground and pierced an artesian aquifer, …

Line 3 pipeline opponents appeal to Minnesota Supreme Court
3 years, 8 months ago

Line 3 pipeline opponents appeal to Minnesota Supreme Court

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — Tribal and environmental groups opposed to Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline project asked the Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday to overturn a lower court decision affirming the approvals granted by independent regulators that allowed construction to begin last December. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the Sierra Club and Honor the …

Biden administration passes up chance to block oil pipeline
3 years, 9 months ago

Biden administration passes up chance to block oil pipeline

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The Biden administration signaled in a court filing this week that it does not plan to cancel federal permits for Enbridge’s Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline project, despite pleas by Native Americans and environmental groups for the president to intervene. Wednesday’s filing by the Corps and its attorneys at the Department of Justice marks the first time President …

Oil pipeline foes protest Enbridge’s Line 3 in Minnesota
3 years, 9 months ago

Oil pipeline foes protest Enbridge’s Line 3 in Minnesota

Associated Press  

SOLWAY, Minn. — Hundreds of protesters vowing to do whatever it takes to stop a Canadian-based company’s push to replace an aging pipeline blocked a pump station Monday in northern Minnesota, with some people chaining themselves to construction equipment before police began making arrests. Environmental and tribal groups say Enbridge Energy’s plan to rebuild Line 3, which would carry Canadian …

Enbridge’s Line 3 oil pipeline enters critical month in June
3 years, 10 months ago

Enbridge’s Line 3 oil pipeline enters critical month in June

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — June will be a critical month for Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 crude oil pipeline as the company resumes construction and opponents mobilize for large-scale protests and civil disobedience. The opposition says the replacement pipeline, which would carry Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude, would aggravate climate change and risk spills in sensitive areas where Native Americans harvest …

Company defies Michigan governor’s order to close pipeline
3 years, 10 months ago

Company defies Michigan governor’s order to close pipeline

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — An Upper Midwestern oil pipeline continued operating Wednesday, despite a shutdown demand from Michigan Gov. “Without Line 5, consumers will shoulder the burden of supply disruptions and related price increases, particularly for propane and transportation fuel.” Whitmer’s office said in a statement that the Colonial Pipeline interruption “shows the danger of relying heavily on a single …

Whitmer threatens profit seizure if pipeline keeps operating
3 years, 10 months ago

Whitmer threatens profit seizure if pipeline keeps operating

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. In her letter to Vern Yu, Enbridge’s executive vice president for liquids pipelines, Whitmer said continued operation of the line after Wednesday “constitutes an intentional trespass” and that the company would do so “at its own risk.” “If the state prevails in the underlying litigation, Enbridge will face the prospect of having to disgorge to …

Need for disputed pipeline argued in Minnesota appeals court
4 years ago

Need for disputed pipeline argued in Minnesota appeals court

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday heard arguments over Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement project in northern Minnesota, which opponents are calling unnecessary due to an eventual decline in the demand for oil. The state’s independent Public Utilities Commission granted the company a certificate of need after Enbridge demonstrated demand to transport crude oil, not demand for …

Michigan approves Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel permits
4 years, 2 months ago

Michigan approves Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel permits

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Michigan’s environmental agency said Friday it has approved construction of an underground tunnel to house a replacement for a controversial oil pipeline in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. The tunnel “will make a safe pipeline even safer,” spokesman Ryan Duffy said, describing the permit approval as “an important milestone” for a project “virtually …

Enbridge starts construction on Line 3 in Minnesota
4 years, 4 months ago

Enbridge starts construction on Line 3 in Minnesota

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — Enbridge Energy began construction on its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement in Minnesota on Tuesday, a day after state regulators approved the final permit for the $2.6 billion project amid legal challenges from local activist and Indigenous groups. “The workforce will ramp up as construction continues eventually creating over 4,000 family-sustaining, mostly local construction jobs, millions of …

Enbridge sues Michigan over oil pipeline shutdown order
4 years, 4 months ago

Enbridge sues Michigan over oil pipeline shutdown order

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Enbridge filed a legal challenge Tuesday to Michigan Gov. Vern Yu, the company’s president for liquids pipelines, said the state should “stop playing politics with the energy needs and anxieties of U.S. and Canadian consumers and businesses that depend on Line 5.” Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said Enbridge’s suit “brazenly defies the people of Michigan and …

Minnesota issues another approval for disputed oil pipeline
4 years, 4 months ago

Minnesota issues another approval for disputed oil pipeline

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota regulatory panel on Tuesday signed off on Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, leaving only one minor state permit to go before construction can begin. Enbridge said in a statement that the authorization to begin construction means only a final construction storm water permit is needed from the Minnesota Pollution …

Army Corps of Engineers grants final federal Line 3 permit
4 years, 4 months ago

Army Corps of Engineers grants final federal Line 3 permit

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday approved the final federal permit for Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, bringing the project a step closer to construction. In a release from its St. Paul office, the Corps said it determined the Line 3 project “is compliant with all federal laws and …

Most of advisory group quits over permit for Line 3 pipeline
4 years, 4 months ago

Most of advisory group quits over permit for Line 3 pipeline

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Twelve of 17 members of a group that advises the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on environmental justice issues have resigned over a permit for the controversial Enbridge Energy oil replacement project. The Environmental Justice Advisory Group delivered the letter Monday in protest of the agency’s approval last week of a key water quality permit for the …

Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline
4 years, 4 months ago

Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Michigan Gov. “Most importantly, Enbridge has imposed on the people of Michigan an unacceptable risk of a catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes that could devastate our economy and way of life.” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit Friday to carry out Whitmer’s decision. “Today’s move would kill jobs and increase fuel costs,” …

Gretchen Whitmer orders shut down of Great Lakes oil pipeline for ‘violating public trust’
4 years, 4 months ago

Gretchen Whitmer orders shut down of Great Lakes oil pipeline for ‘violating public trust’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. On Friday, the Democratic governor’s counsel said in a letter to Enbridge that it was revoking an easement granted …

Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline
4 years, 4 months ago

Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Gretchen Whitmer took legal action Friday to shut down …

Minnesota ruling boosts Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement
4 years, 5 months ago

Minnesota ruling boosts Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota pollution regulators properly considered the construction impacts of Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace the 337-mile segment of its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline that crosses the state, an administrative law judge ruled Friday in a blow to environmental and tribal groups fighting the project. Judge James LaFave issued the opinion following a request by …

Enbridge completes 12-mile North Dakota stretch of Line 3
4 years, 5 months ago

Enbridge completes 12-mile North Dakota stretch of Line 3

Associated Press  

PEMBINA, N.D. — Enbridge Energy officials said Wednesday that they have completed a small section of its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement project in North Dakota, leaving only the Minnesota stretch that has been challenged by state officials and others. Line 3 starts in Alberta and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing northern Minnesota en route to …

Michigan judge allows restart of disputed oil pipeline
4 years, 9 months ago

Michigan judge allows restart of disputed oil pipeline

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Michigan judge Wednesday allowed Enbridge to resume pumping oil through a Midwestern pipeline, nearly a week after shutting it down because of damage to a structure that anchors a section of the line running through a Great Lakes channel. Circuit Judge James Jamo granted a request from state Attorney General Dana Nessel to close the …

Judge shuts down energy pipeline in Michigan’s Great Lakes
4 years, 9 months ago

Judge shuts down energy pipeline in Michigan’s Great Lakes

Associated Press  

DETROIT — A judge shut down an energy pipeline in Michigan’s Great Lakes on Thursday, granting a request from the state after the owner reported problems with a support piece far below the surface. Enbridge Inc. has not provided enough information to Michigan officials to show that continued operation of the west leg of the Line 5 twin pipeline is …

Enbridge seeks permits to build Great Lakes oil tunnel
4 years, 11 months ago

Enbridge seeks permits to build Great Lakes oil tunnel

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Enbridge Inc. applied Wednesday for state and federal authorization to construct an oil pipeline tunnel beneath the Michigan waterway that connects two of the Great Lakes. Enbridge submitted a joint application to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The Great Lakes Tunnel Project unequivocally is the …

Minnesota regulators put Line 3 oil pipeline back on track
5 years, 1 month ago

Minnesota regulators put Line 3 oil pipeline back on track

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota utility regulators put Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline back on track Monday, approving a court-ordered revised environmental review and reinstating two key approvals that the company needs to proceed with the disputed project. “The PUC has repeatedly ignored unacceptable risks to Minnesota’s clean water and to the communities …

Enbridge pipeline project hits another Minnesota obstacle
5 years, 9 months ago

Enbridge pipeline project hits another Minnesota obstacle

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace an aging crude oil pipeline that runs through northern Minnesota hit another obstacle Tuesday when two state agencies said they would hold up approval of the project’s permits until problems with its environmental review are resolved. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday that they can’t take final …

Enbridge delays Line 3 pipeline opening in Minnesota by year
6 years ago

Enbridge delays Line 3 pipeline opening in Minnesota by year

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Enbridge Energy is delaying the startup of its planned Line 3 replacement crude oil pipeline through northern Minnesota by a year. Under the permitting timeline that Minnesota presented to Enbridge on Friday, the Calgary, Alberta-based company said certifications on all remaining state permits required for constructing Line 3 will be provided by this November. “We now …

Michigan governor reaches final deal on Great Lakes pipeline
6 years, 3 months ago

Michigan governor reaches final deal on Great Lakes pipeline

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration said Thursday it had wrapped up negotiations with Enbridge Inc. on building a tunnel to contain an oil pipeline beneath a Great Lakes waterway. The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority could approve the Enbridge deals during its first meeting next Wednesday, fulfilling Snyder’s wish to have the plan etched in stone before …

Michigan officials, company reach oil pipeline deal
6 years, 5 months ago

Michigan officials, company reach oil pipeline deal

Associated Press  

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration and Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge announced an agreement Wednesday to replace twin 65-year-old crude oil pipes that critics have long described as an environmental disaster waiting to happen in a crucial Great Lakes channel. Spokesman Ryan Duffy said the company, based in Calgary, Alberta, “has operated Line 5 safely and reliably …

Regulators OK environmental review for disputed oil pipeline
7 years ago

Regulators OK environmental review for disputed oil pipeline

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota regulators approved the final environmental review Thursday for Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline in northern Minnesota, setting the stage for a final decision on the disputed project in June. “You’re going to make a decision that people around the country are watching, a decision on an issue that’s …

Enbridge reaches $176M agreement for 2010 Michigan oil spill
8 years, 8 months ago

Enbridge reaches $176M agreement for 2010 Michigan oil spill

Associated Press  

Enbridge Energy Partners has reached a $176 million settlement for the costliest inland oil spill in U.S. history — a pipeline rupture in southwestern Michigan that polluted a nearly 40-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, federal officials said Wednesday. Additionally, Enbridge pledged to replace 300 miles of a pipeline, pay $1 million for a separate 2010 spill in Romeoville, Illinois, …

U.S., Enbridge Reach $177 Million Oil Spill Settlement
8 years, 8 months ago

U.S., Enbridge Reach $177 Million Oil Spill Settlement

Huff Post  

Bill Pugliano via Getty Images By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON - Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc has agreed to pay $177 million in penalties and improved safety measures in a settlement with the U.S. government tied to one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history. The settlement, announced on Wednesday by Enbridge, the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental …

Activists pipe up against US oil-transport plans
9 years, 5 months ago

Activists pipe up against US oil-transport plans

Al Jazeera  

Enbridge Energy is eyeing a major pipeline in Minnesota state, but the project faces fierce environmental opposition. “Enbridge’s preferred Sandpiper route provides the best balance for Minnesota, taking into account impacts to both people and the environment,” said Enbridge in an emailed statement to Al Jazeera. “It traverses a less populated region of Minnesota, avoids federal lands such as the …

Discover Related