In a win for opponents of Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, the Michigan Supreme Court vacated a key permit last week for a proposed project that would replace a segment of the pipeline running underneath an environmentally-sensitive area of the Great Lakes, finding that a state commission did not examine the full scope of possible harm to the environment. Following the 6-1 decision…
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Two state agencies charged with overseeing Michigan’s natural resources and the environment have approved another set of permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project, pushing the Canadian energy company closer to the full approval needed to begin construction. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy announced Wednesday that it had reapproved a set of permits that expired earlier…
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While attorneys for a major Canadian pipeline company argue that federal regulators hold sole authority in regulating pipelines across the country, a recent report argues that national-level oversight is not strict enough to prevent oil spills and other safety concerns. Enbridge, which operates the controversial Line 5 pipeline, is currently embroiled in legal battles with state officials…
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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday about whether state or federal court will have the final say on the future of the controversial Line 5 pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas liquids across the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan. The case dates to a 2019 lawsuit by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who moved to shut down the pipeline by revoking the easement that…
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Around August of each year, when temperatures swell in the Great Lakes region, wild rice — or manoomin in the Ojibwe language — begins to flower. Rice stalks can grow as high as 10 feet in the shallow waters, and to harvest, sticks and poles are used to knock seeds loose into boats or canoes. The harvest is critical each year to the Ojibwe. But those ricing waters are under threat as the…
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