Line 5 Pipeline Opposition Petitions for Contested Case Hearing

The Line 5 Pipeline reroute project in Northern Wisconsin is facing new legal opposition from Environmental Groups and the Bad River tribe.

The Enbridge Energy project has been a major source of controversy in the region. In recent weeks, the company received crucial permit approvals with significant conditions from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, sparking new challenges from those opposed to the project.

The Line 5 pipeline currently runs through the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation, but a 2019 lawsuit forced Enbridge Energy to shut parts of the pipeline down and pay over $5 million for trespassing. Following that lawsuit, the company began making plans for a 41 mile reroute to run the pipeline around the reservation rather than through it.

Still, environmental groups and tribal officials say the reroute plan could have a negative impact on the area. Earthjustice, the group representing the Bad River tribe in the matter, filed a petition for a contest case hearing on Thursday.

The group is challenging the approval of the project’s waterway and wetland permit, water quality certification, and final environmental impact statement. They argue that the Department of Natural Resources lacked the necessary information on specific rivers and streams that would be affected in the area when they granted the approvals.

The Department of Natural Resources’ environmental impact statement found the possibility of a spill or pipe failure to be extremely remote. Proponents of the relocation project say it will create hundreds of jobs in the region and provide millions in tax revenue.