Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is appealing a federal court’s decision in a lawsuit over the Enbridge Gas line 5. Line 5 is a 645-mile submerged 30-inch pipe that carries more than half a million barrels of oil and natural gas from Superior, WI in the United States to Sarnia, Ont. through the Straits of Mackinac. For several years, officials in Michigan have voiced concerns over the safety of the line, citing several incidents in which the pipe was dented or damaged as a potential environmental liability. To date, no leak has been reported. “An oil spill in Michigan’s Great Lakes would undoubtably be an environmental catastrophe. And Michigan would undoubtably be the recipient of almost all the environmental damage that would result,” agreed United States district judge Robert Jonker in his ruling, “[however,] for better or worse, the national government has unequivocally decided to displace state power in this area and assume exclusive responsibility for interstate pipeline safety.” The line has served the area for more than seven decades.
