Judge orders Enbridge, tribe to form emergency pipeline plan

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has ordered energy company Enbridge Inc. and a tribe to come up with an emergency plan to prevent potential spills from an aging oil pipeline running across the tribe's reservation.

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa sued Enbridge in federal court in 2019 to force the company to remove a section of the Line 5 pipeline that runs across the tribe's reservation in northern Wisconsin, arguing the nearly 70-year-old line poses an unreasonable risk to health and safety. The company agreed and plans to build a $450 million pipeline that would run 41 miles around the reservation.

Wisconsin Public Radio reported that U.S. District Judge William Conley said in an order issued Monday that risk of a significant rupture exists and the resulting spill could cause “catastrophic” impacts to the Bad River watershed. He allowed the pipeline to continue operating but ordered the tribe and the company to develop a plan to prevent possible spills.

https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/judge-orders-enbridge-tribe-to-form-emergency-pipeline-plan