Judge Rules in Favor of Enbridge’s Line 5 Reroute
Judge upholds key state permits for a 41-mile pipeline reroute amid ongoing legal challenges from tribal and environmental groups over ecological impacts.
- On Friday, Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy affirmed the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permits for the 41-mile Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin and amended several permit conditions.
- Kellner said the DNR's review found that after a six-week contested-case hearing last fall, permit applications for the project were initially submitted in 2020 and permits were issued in 2024 following a multi-year review.
- Experts testified that the DNR underestimated ecological impacts and relied on an inadequate monitoring plan, while the reroute would affect at least 186 waterways and 101 acres of high-quality wetlands that drain into Lake Superior.
- Enbridge said its crews are ready and can begin construction soon after final approvals, expecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proffered permit to be finalized shortly.
- A court-ordered shutdown would require Enbridge to cease Line 5 operations in the Bad River Reservation by June 16, 2026, though the pipeline serves 10 refineries and moves more than 500,000 barrels daily.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Judge rules in favor of Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute
An administrative law judge has ordered some changes but upheld key state permits for Enbridge’s $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline around the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. In her decision, Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy wrote the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources met state requirements and permitting standards when it issued a wetland and waterway permit, stormwater permit and…
Judge rules in favor of Enbridge's Line 5 reroute in Wisconsin, upholding state permits
An administrative law judge has upheld key state permits for Enbridge’s $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline around the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The post Judge rules in favor of Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute in Wisconsin, upholding state permits appeared first on WPR.
Clean Wisconsin, Earthjustice, Midwest Environmental Advocates: Judge upholds Wisconsin DNR’s permit for Line 5 oil pipeline
Madison, WI – An administrative law judge today upheld a key permit granted last year by Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for Canadian company Enbridge to build 41 miles of new oil pipeline through the watershed of the Bad River Band of...
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