It’s the latest attempt by the Whitmer administration to shut down an embattled oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. Governor Whitmer says the state found the pipeline’s owner, Enbridge, had repeatedly violated both the 1953 easement and the public trust doctrine. Great Lakes Regional Director for the National Wildlife Foundation Mike Shriberg says Whitmer is handling the Line 5 pipeline issue differently than her predecessor.
“Governor Snyder’s approach was to allow the existing pipeline to be open until a tunnel was built,” says Shriberg. “What Governor Whitmer has said is the current pipeline will need to be shut down in May because it poses an imminent risk to the Great Lakes. Enbridge may pursue building a tunnel after that, but they won’t be able to do it with the pipeline open while they’re building.”
Shriberg says he expects Enbridge to mount a legal battle ahead of the May deadline, but says the company will not succeed in avoiding the line being shutdown.
